Chapter 581: Thai Campaign (3)

Stilwell looked at the map where Manggu was surrounded by regiments, his tone softened a bit, and said to Zhou Haitong: "Commander Zhou, thank you for your hard work, keep tightening the encirclement, we must capture Manggu as soon as possible, we cannot let MacArthur's unreasonable demands affect our plan."

Zhou Haitong nodded and said firmly: "Commander Stilwell, rest assured, we have already prepared for the siege, within three days we will definitely take Manggu!"

At this time in Singapore, Jiang Anguo also received Stilwell's Telegram, learned that he had refused MacArthur's unreasonable demand, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

He said to the adjutant beside him: "Stilwell may be a bit stubborn, but when it comes to great right and wrong, he can still tell heavy from light. Tell Stilwell that Nanko fully supports him, we together will quickly take Manggu and completely end the war in Southeast Asia."

Actually Jiang Anguo doesn't have much opinion about MacArthur either, mainly because he has never met him.

Just like Stilwell at the beginning, this old man always wanted to command the Expeditionary Force, yet he didn't understand the interests inside.

Now it's different; seeing the Expeditionary Force keep winning, this old man no longer cares about command, as long as the troops win, that's the best news.

Stilwell believes that as long as he is in the Southeast Asia Expeditionary Force, he can become a five‑star general of the United States.

Five‑star general, Stilwell!

Inside the American Army command in Brisbane.

After receiving Stilwell's refusal Telegram, MacArthur trembled with anger, tore the Telegram to pieces, and shouted at his subordinates: "Stilwell! How dare you refuse me! And those Nanko people, don't you see what status you have, daring to disobey my orders!"

The subordinates fell silent like chilled frogs, none dared to approach to persuade; they all knew this proud general had been blinded by fury.

Meanwhile on the Manggu front, Nanko and the Expeditionary Force troops are rubbing their fists, preparing to launch the final siege battle to completely end this long slaughter.

Over the sea of Manggu Bay, the wind is calm, sunlight glitters on the water with rippling sparkles; no one expected that a thunderous raid would soon unfold in the Lincha Ban Sea area.

At sea, the Nanhua Pacific Fleet displayed a majestic formation, with the Essex‑class Aircraft Carrier "Qi Hang" as its core, anchored steadily in the Manggu Bay area, like the heart of the fleet, continuously emitting deterrence.

On the deck of the "Qi Hang" Aircraft Carrier, besides the F4U squadron led by William, more aircraft stood ready, able to take off at any time to support ground siege operations.

Surrounding "Qi Hang", the battleship Zhenhai stood proudly, its heavy hull like a steel giant shield, its main gun barrels thick and fierce, aimed at Manggu's coastal Defensive Line, as if a single order could blast a gap.

Following closely, the cruiser Dingyuan weaved flexibly around the carrier, its secondary guns and anti‑aircraft guns standing ready, vigilant for any possible counterattack.

Several destroyers acted like loyal guardians, positioned around the fleet's perimeter, forming a tight watch circle, patrolling every sea area, completely cutting off Manggu's maritime escape routes and external aid lines.

The warships of the Nanhua Pacific Fleet lined up orderly, like steel beasts lurking on the sea; on the carrier deck, F4U aircraft lined up, bombs and torpedoes hanging under the wings ready, the air thick with a tense, lethal atmosphere.

Before launching the overall attack on Manggu, the Nankai Fleet's first‑wave target was the Thai Royal Navy stationed at Lincha Ban Port.

Those two "cruisers" built by the Japanese, the Thonburi and Ayutthaya.

Though called cruisers, they were merely light vessels custom‑made by the Japanese Army for Thailand.

Their displacement was only a little over two thousand tons.

Their tonnage was even less than the Nankai Fleet's destroyers; their armament was also relatively simple, the only advantage being that in this Southeast Asian sea, aside from the colonial powers' fleets, only Thailand possessed a certain degree of maritime sovereignty.

At that time in Southeast Asia, most countries were colonies of the United Kingdom, France, or the Netherlands, with almost no indigenous naval forces.

These two Thai Royal Navy vessels became one of the few maritime assets of Luan Piwen's regime, also his last sliver of hope to resist the Nankai Fleet's attack.

At this moment, William was undoubtedly the busiest person in the entire fleet.

Not long ago, he had led a fighter squadron to escort Jiang Anguo on land, and now he had turned to the sea, throwing himself into naval combat.

He wore a flight suit, a flight helmet, briskly climbed onto an F4U, skillfully checked the equipment, excitement flashing in his eyes.

This was his first time taking off from an Aircraft Carrier, feeling the deck's vibration, hearing the engine's roar, an unprecedented passion burning in his heart.

"All crews, attention, prepare for takeoff!"

The carrier's command center voice came over the radio; William gripped the stick, a confident smile curled at his mouth, and shouted into the radio: "Yo, that's the feeling, let's bomb the Thai ships!"

The engine roared, thrust increasing, the F4U shot off the deck like an arrow, wing slicing the sky, racing toward Lincha Ban Port.

"Yes, Captain!" the crew replied in unison over the radio, followed by dozens of F4U aircraft taking off in formation, trailing William like a flock of fierce eagles toward the target.

"Captain, I will stay by your side, never fall behind!" the second squadron leader's voice rang over the radio, firm and passionate.

William laughed loudly, replying: "Good kid, keep up, let the Thai see how strong we are!"

At this time in Lincha Ban Port, the Thai Royal Navy's Thonburi and Ayutthaya were moored at the dock, soldiers leisurely moving on the deck, completely unaware of the impending danger.

They thought, under Japanese protection, the Nankai Fleet would not dare to attack, let alone target their two "unremarkable" vessels.

Little did they know, they had already become William's prey.

"Target acquired! Thonburi and Ayutthaya moored at the dock, no obvious guard!"

The observer's voice came over the radio; William's eyes sharpened, and he ordered: "First squadron bomb Thonburi, second squadron attack Ayutthaya, third squadron suppress port defenses, go!"

As the orders were given, the fighter formation quickly split, rushing toward their respective targets.

William piloted his aircraft, first closing in on Thonburi, dropping bombs precisely under the wings.

"Boom—"

A huge blast, the bomb hit Thonburi's deck, instantly erupting a towering flame, thick smoke billowing, Thai soldiers on deck unable to react, falling into pools of blood, screams and explosions intertwining, shattering the port's tranquility.