Chapter 582: Thai Campaign (4)

"Baka! Enemy aircraft! Counterattack!" Indeed, although the captain of the Thonburi was Thai, the actual Commander of the two cruisers was Japanese.

Japanese helped Thailand build a modern army, and the weapons and equipment used by the Thai Army were also mostly Type 38 rifles.

The captain of the Thonburi shouted in panic, ordering the anti‑aircraft guns to fire back, but in the haste they could not organize any effective defense.

F4U carrier‑based fighters circled low, their cannons raking the deck's soldiers and equipment with a frenzy; the anti‑aircraft gun had just been set up when a shell hit it, instantly turning it into a heap of scrap metal.

On the other side, the Squad's second wave of fighters launched a fierce attack on the Ayutthaya, and a torpedo struck the ship's hull with precision.

"Boom—" rang out, a huge gash opened in the hull, seawater surged in, the Ayutthaya began to tilt slowly, the deck's soldiers panicked and leapt into the sea to escape, only to be swept by fighter fire, none surviving.

William piloted his fighter and bombed the Thonburi again; the successive explosions tore the Thonburi's hull apart, and it sank slowly. In just half an hour, the two Thai Royal Navy vessels were completely annihilated by the Nankai Fleet.

"Mission accomplished! Requesting return!" William shouted into the radio, his tone full of pride and exhilaration.

Dozens of carrier‑based fighters formed a tight formation and flew toward the Nankai Fleet's "Qi Hang" Aircraft Carrier.

On the sea off Lincha Bay, only wrecked hulls and floating corpses remained, smoke filled the air, the scent of blood drifted with the wind, and the maritime defense of Lincha Bay port collapsed completely.

While the Nankai Fleet was wiping out the Thai Royal Navy, the land offensive launched simultaneously, three armies advancing side by side, pushing rapidly toward Manggu, forming an encirclement.

Transport ships quickly approached Manggu's eastern coastline.

Zhou Haitong led the Nanhua Navy's Marine Division, landing smoothly from North Liu Prefecture, which serves as an important gateway to Manggu's east.

The Japanese and Thai Pseudo Army's defensive forces were weak, and the Marine Division's warriors surged forward like tigers descending a mountain, swiftly breaching the Defensive Line.

Advancing westward, they cleared remaining enemy troops along the way and soon neared Manggu's eastern suburbs.

"Brothers, speed up! Aim to reach Manggu early, link up with allied forces, and capture Manggu!" Zhou Haitong stood on the command vehicle and shouted at the soldiers.

The warriors' morale surged, their steps firm, as they raced toward Manggu.

Many Chinese even volunteered as guides, directing the troops forward.

At the same time, the Expeditionary Force's main units successfully entered Buddha Union.

Buddha Union lies west of Manggu, serving as a transport hub to Myanmar and western Thailand, and its strategic position is highly important.

After the Expeditionary Force's soldiers entered Buddha Union, they immediately built fortifications, cleared the city of remaining Japanese and Pseudo Army troops, seized the transport routes, cut Manggu's links to the outside, and formed a western encirclement.

"Issue the orders, defend tightly, spare no enemy, and accelerate the advance toward Manggu!" Expeditionary Force Commander Du Yuming ordered his subordinates, and the soldiers immediately moved, deploying methodically.

Du Yuming now commands the 200th Division, which is as easy to wield as an arm.

Shoot where you point!

The key is that the 200th Division fought from start to finish in Myanmar, and as a result it kept getting stronger.

Today, with the 200th Division's combat power and equipment, even a clash with a Japanese Type B Division can be met head‑on!

To the north, Yao Quanyi led the Independent Regiment, and after capturing North Lan Slope, they moved southward and successfully entered Pathum Thani.

Pathum Thani lies north of Manggu, serving as its northern gateway, where a small contingent of Japanese and Thai cooperative defense troops were stationed; faced with the Independent Regiment's powerful assault, they were utterly overwhelmed and quickly eradicated.

Yao Quanyi stood on the high ground of Pathum Thani, gazing at distant Manggu, and told the soldiers, "Brothers, we have reached Manggu's outskirts; next, we will link up with allied forces, encircle Manggu, seize the city completely, and fulfill our mission!"

Within just a few days, the Nankai Navy's Marine Division, the Expeditionary Force, and the Independent Regiment—three armies like three sharp daggers—advanced from the east, west, and north respectively, completing an iron‑clad encirclement of Manggu.

At sea, Nanhua's Pacific Fleet, and the Nankai Fleet, which already possesses an Aircraft Carrier, demonstrate its formidable strength.

No one can hope to set sail from Manggu.

The airtight encirclement, like a massive death net, trapped the Thai capital tightly, leaving not even a sliver of breathing space.

Inside Manggu, the Japanese and Thai Pseudo Army were completely isolated, their ammunition and supplies dwindling ever more, the granaries empty, ammunition scarce.

Even drinking water began to run short; the troops' morale sank, panic spread, the former swagger was crushed, leaving only numbness and fear on their faces.

Outside the city, the Nankai and Expeditionary Force camps spanned dozens of miles, brightly lit, tents stretching endlessly like stars fallen to the ground; from afar it was a black, oppressive sea of light.

Inside the Thai Prime Minister's Office, Luan Piwen Songkan sat in his office chair.

He clenched urgent battle reports in both hands, the papers crumpled into balls, his face as pale as paper, his whole body trembling uncontrollably, his eyes filled with incredulous shock and terror, his breathing rapid and heavy.

It failed; the mighty Thai Royal Navy had, half an hour earlier, seen all its ships sunk by the Nankai Fleet.

Outside the window, faint cannon test‑fire sounds drifted from the city, a "Boom—Boom—" thunder, each blast like a hammer striking his heart.

First, the Thai Royal Navy at Lincha Bay port was completely annihilated by the Nankai Fleet; two "cruisers" sank instantly, cutting off any maritime retreat.

Then North Liu Prefecture, Buddha Union, and Pathum Thani fell in succession; the three armies pressed forward step by step, troops at the city gates, all arriving so suddenly and so fast that he could not react, let alone organize an effective counterattack.

"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!" Luan Piwen Songkan sprang to his feet, slamming the documents and teacup on the table, the shattered porcelain scattering, the sound hoarse and broken, full of endless panic and despair, "How could they advance so fast? How could they reach Manggu so quickly? Where is our navy? Where is our defense? Those Japanese advisors said they could hold Manggu for three months!"

He staggered to the map, his finger trembling as it brushed over Manggu surrounded by the three armies, his gaze unfocused, hands clasped over his head, his body shaking uncontrollably, fully collapsing.

The artillery outside grew nearer, and faintly the shouts of Nankai soldiers could be heard, the sound piercing the city walls into the Prime Minister's Office like a death‑knell horn, chilling him to the bone, as if falling into an ice cellar.