Chapter 610: Sumatra

At the same time that Zhou Haitong's Marine Corps First Division was raging at Ju Gang, fiercely assaulting the Japanese Army's core energy stronghold.

The Marine Corps Second Division, responsible for the northern front, also smoothly completed its planned amphibious landing, seizing the beach at Medan, the northern stronghold of Sumatra.

Compared with the Japanese at Ju Gang, who clung madly to the oil and gas facilities, the Japanese forces stationed at Medan and northern Sumatra were extremely thin, with a loose and weak defensive system.

The elite of the Japanese main force, the 38th Division, was almost entirely concentrated at Ju Gang, Ba Dong and other southern resource strongholds, staunchly defending the oil, rubber and other core strategic resource regions.

Along the northern Medan front only a few guard units, logistics troops and hastily conscripted colonial auxiliaries remained, lacking solid coastal fortifications and sufficient heavy weapons to support the line.

Moreover, after the Japanese Navy's disastrous defeat in the Liao Nei Qundao naval battle, it completely lost sea control in Southeast Asia and could not provide maritime support to Sumatra's coastal positions.

The northern Japanese forces had long fallen into an isolated, hopeless situation, with scattered morale and low spirits.

Therefore, the South China Marine Corps Second Division's amphibious operation proceeded exceptionally smoothly.

Under the cover of close-range fleet gun suppression and low-altitude carrier aircraft sweeps, the Second Division's troops encountered virtually no decent resistance.

In less than two hours, they completely broke through the beachhead line, cleanly and decisively captured the entire city of Medan, fully taking over Sumatra's foremost northern stronghold.

The Japanese garrison in the city had no will to fight to the death; most scattered and fled, a few stubborn foes were swiftly eliminated, and throughout the landing battle, South China forces suffered very few casualties.

After securing the Medan position, clearing remaining enemies in the city, and stabilizing the rear supply point, the commander of the Marine Corps Second Division, Liu Hua, immediately, according to pre‑battle plans, made a decisive decision to split the division's forces in two, dispatching two columns for a comprehensive sweep operation.

One main column advanced northward, eradicating the remaining Japanese outposts at Sumatra's northern tip, completely sealing off the northern coastline and eliminating any chance of Japanese sea escape or external landing support.

The other main column moved southward, retaking towns along the way, gradually pushing deep into Sumatra's interior, forming a north‑south pincer with the First Division's assault on Ju Gang, completely sealing off the Japanese on the island.

The north and south columns advanced side by side, unstoppable as a bamboo split.

Deprived of command and heavy firepower, the remaining Japanese units were powerless to resist; often the South China troops had not yet arrived when the defenders abandoned the city in advance.

The Japanese‑controlled areas in northern and central Sumatra collapsed at a visibly rapid pace.

As the front kept advancing, the South China command keenly detected the remaining Japanese's stubborn strategy: the remnants abandoned field positions, retreating entirely into several key cities in central Sumatra, using urban structures to build street defenses, hoping to drag out the battle and wear down South China troops while awaiting a home‑grown rescue fleet.

To minimize infantry assault casualties and accelerate pacifying Sumatra, the South China General Command in Singapore swiftly finalized a new operational plan and issued a strategic bombing order.

Jiang Anguo knew there was no need to have soldiers gnaw at the Japanese‑held city fortresses with flesh and blood; leveraging existing air‑sea superiority to dismantle enemy defenses with precise aerial strikes was the most efficient and safest method.

At first, Jiang Anguo was still worried about the superior strength of the Japanese Southern Army.

But as the campaign opened up in Myanmar, it directly smashed the Japanese 15th Army.

He realized a problem: Southeast Asia's territory is vast and composed of countless islands.

In every locale, the Japanese would deploy some troops, more or less.

Consequently, the 400,000 Southern Army, scattered across these Southeast Asian nations and islands, could no longer concentrate many troops.

This issue does not only affect the Japanese.

Similarly, Jiang Anguo also faced this problem: forces dispersed, territories increasing, yet troops becoming ever more scattered.

This time Jiang Anguo concentrated two Marine Corps divisions to attack Sumatra, and merely gathering the forces took nearly a month.

More time was spent consolidating the territories of Thailand and the Malayan Peninsula.

The current South China army enjoys an absolute advantage.

Not only in the skies, but also at sea they have superiority.

Immediately, the South China Pacific Fleet's carrier aircraft units scrambled in formation toward the central Sumatra theater.

They carried out pinpoint precision bombing on the bunkers, artillery positions, command posts, and ammunition depots surrounding the few core cities the Japanese held.

The bombing deliberately avoided residential areas and civilian facilities, striking only Japanese military targets, thereby dismantling enemy defenses while maximally preserving town structures and civilian safety.

The fierce aerial bombardment raged day and night, completely shattering the Japanese's last will to resist.

The Japanese defensive line, previously anchored on the cities, collapsed entirely; fortifications were destroyed, ammunition cut off, and the remnants fell into total chaos.

The two columns of the Marine Corps Second Division pressed forward, steadily tightening the encirclement, gradually mastering the whole Sumatra situation, echoing the First Division's capture of Ju Gang, and fully securing South China's total victory on Sumatra.

As long as the Japanese do not concentrate the Combined Fleet on South China's territory, Jiang Anguo is not worried at all.

Even if the Japanese gathered the Combined Fleet, Jiang Anguo remains untroubled, especially after seizing Singapore and Xinshan.

Just the airports of those two places housed nearly four hundred bombers and fighters.

Add the roughly two hundred assorted aircraft on his two carriers, and those six hundred fighters and bombers are certainly enough to give the Little Devils' Combined Fleet a drink.

Now it's up to Shanben Wushiliu to see if he dares to lay the 'Card Game' in South China waters.

South China's capital is now quite robust; although its base is weak, its manpower is very strong.

Myanmar is now divided into two provinces; the north, with Chang'an (formerly Mandalay) as its capital, is named North Ridge Province.

The name shows that North Ridge Province is mountainous plateau, with spectacular scenery but relatively closed transportation.

It mainly covers the area north of the Yi Luo Wa Di River, the Shanbang Plateau, including Dongzhi, Lashu, Bamo, Myitkyina and other cities.

The south is Nan Yuan Sheng.

Its main cities are Ren'ankiang, Yangon, Tonggu, etc.

The south has many plains, suitable for agricultural development.

At the same time, Ren'ankiang remains the most important, controlling the key economic source of South China's western provinces.

However, Ren'ankiang's oil extraction has only barely resumed production, far below the capacity before the British destroyed it.

Jiang Anguo is not worried that the British would attack Myanmar now, because the Japanese unit he left behind, the Japanese 33rd Division of Sakura Province 3rd Corps, has already taken Yingpar.

Yingpar is an important city in northeastern India.

It is not that Yingpar is a large city; on the contrary, it is just a small town in northern India.

Only because the British and the Americans use it as a base linking Huaxia that its population has gradually gathered.

Now it has been easily occupied by the 33rd Division of Sakura Province 3rd Corps.

A major reason is that the British-Myanmar forces failed to withdraw into India, leaving northern India lacking defensive troops.

The British are very clear about the combat capability of India's A‑san troops.

Fortunately, the British still have a mountain unit formed by Nepalese Gurkha soldiers, which held back the Japanese advance.

The 33rd Division of Sakura Province 3rd Corps now numbers only about eight thousand men, utterly unable to continue westward into India; it is merely holding at Yingpar awaiting reinforcement, as long as…

He simply knows very clearly that the current war situation of the Japanese Army in Southeast Asia is already extremely unfavorable.

Fortunately, the forces of Nanko and the Expeditionary Force did not pursue the rd Division from behind.

Otherwise, the consequences would be simply unimaginable.