On the afternoon of April 13, in Chittagong, Commander-in-Chief of the British Army in India Wavell met Degu and Captain "Germande". As soon as Degu and his party returned to Jingdong, Myanmar, Wavell received relevant intelligence and learned that Degu Gu returned in vain and Clary stayed in Hanoi voluntarily. He didn't understand the whole story and was still worried about Clary. But after reading Clary's report and talking with De Gu, he understood Clary. He took great pains, but he didn't show any sympathy. Regarding Ouyang Yun's ambition for the French Far East Fleet mentioned by Crary at the end of the report, he sneered with considerable disdain: "Wishful thinking." He slapped the report heavily on the table and said, "Wishful thinking." Arranged for Degu to wash up and rest, and summoned Captain Gomande to learn more about the situation.
Captain "Gomande" has been completely impressed by the teaching team, and Clary has made a special explanation. Naturally, what he said is no different from the content of the report. Wavell didn't listen to a few words, his face became serious, and asked : "The weapons and equipment of the Xuebing Army are really so advanced."
"yes."
With his interest aroused, Wavell decided to go and find out. "Come on, take me to see it. Rogenbauer, go and call Seshev and the others to come and see it together." After going out, he thought about himself. The adjutant ordered,
Ten minutes later, in the French camp, dozens of British generals surrounded a Jiguang tank and a Great Wall light armored vehicle and began to explore curiously.
"I have seen the tanks used by the Xuebing Army themselves, which are more advanced than this one." Captain "Gomande" said at the side.
A major general shouted strangely: "What, you mean, this tank is not the best among the Chinese."
"Yes."
"Vicente, you're not lying, are you? This kind of tank should be more advanced than Hitler's No. 4 tank." A colonel who was familiar with Captain Gomande shouted,
Vicente smiled bitterly and said: "Why should I lie? This is not a glorious thing."
A colonel got into the car, and after a while he climbed out and shouted to Wavell: "Your Excellency, Commander, if what Vicente said is true, I think we should purchase this kind of tank from the Chinese immediately. "
"If our troops have such tanks, the morale of the troops will definitely be greatly improved. By then, no matter how crazy the Japanese offensive is, as long as a tank unit is organized at the regiment level, they can crush their attack in one fell swoop. "
... All the British officers were chatting, and they all had a strong interest in the Jiguang tank in front of them. The Jiguang tank under the leadership of Ouyang Yun placed special emphasis on armor protection capabilities. Even this type of tank has been used by the military The thickness of the armor of the old-fashioned relay models that the main force has begun to phase out can still withstand most of the Japanese attack weapons at close range, especially the human bombs. The British have repeatedly lost in battles with the Japanese. The reason he concluded by himself is that the troops cannot adapt to the Japanese style of play. He believes that what the troops need to improve most at present is to come up with ways to counter the Japanese's human attack tactics.
"Japanese officers can ignore the life and death of their soldiers, but we can't. The life of every soldier in our British Empire is priceless." This is the excuse the British officers made for them to frequently order retreats.
The tank was first invented by the British and played a huge role during World War I. Normally, the British tanks should be the most advanced in the world, but in fact, not only are they completely outclassed by the Germans in terms of tank technology, The situation continues, and tank tactics have lagged far behind the opponent.
In many aspects, the Japanese regard the United Kingdom as a model for learning, so they did not pay much attention to the development of tanks before. Later, although they began to increase investment because of the heavy losses suffered by the Jiguang tank, so far, it has not formed a Sufficient combat power, Yamamoto Isoroku led the Western Expedition Fleet to attack Southeast Asia this time. The marines under his jurisdiction were not equipped with a sufficient number of armored units. What is incredible is that in the Battle of Singapore, there was a division-level tank force organization. The British army was actually defeated by the Japanese army, which did not have a single tank. The Japanese army only used hundreds of suicide bombs to blow up the British army and raised the white flag high. As the Japanese army used the captured British tanks to form its own tank division, the Japanese army turned to A lightning attack chain was formed. The British were dumbfounded and did not dare to send tanks to the front line anymore.
In this environment, the British army was extremely eager for tanks that could withstand Japanese human bomb attacks.
The generals under his command showed a keen interest in the tanks of the Xuebing Army and regarded them as a magic weapon to defeat the Japanese army. Wavell watched and listened quietly without making any comments. There are some differences in his ideas. He believes that although it is true that the British army is poorly equipped, what is more worrying is the morale and fighting will of the troops. His philosophy is: no matter how good the weapons are, they are useless without the right people to use them, so he is targeting Krak. Lee's proposal was not very enthusiastic,
Behind the two tanks were the Wei Qing and Qubing type firearms. Seeing the Qubing general machine gun, the British exploded: "Isn't this the German MG42? No, there are some differences."
"It's an improved model, it should be more refined."
"Automatic rifle, what's the range?"
"Let me see, let me see."
"Vicente, is this really a Chinese weapon? If you tell me it's German, I believe it more. China is such a backward country. Moreover, with the advanced level of these two firearms, it is impossible for us to have any information in advance. I can’t hear it.”
"Then ask the Commander-in-Chief, he has General Craley's report."
"Where's Clary? Why didn't you see him?"
"He stayed in Hanoi."
The generals under his command valued Jiguang tanks more, but Wavell was more interested in Wei Qing and Qubing firearms. He felt the changes these automatic weapons could bring to the combat effectiveness of the troops, and he couldn't help but persevere in his heart. There is some looseness,
Half an hour later, he summoned "Gomande" Captain Vicente again in his temporary headquarters, "You were also present when the Major of the Cadet Corps asked to see Crary."
"Yes."
"Does Commander Degu know about this?"
"He doesn't know. He lives in the city. Commander-in-Chief, I have watched the cadet army train the French. In fact, I think you should let the generals meet those French soldiers just now. Those French soldiers met our soldiers a month ago. It’s no different, but now you see,.”
"Are you saying that we should also invite the Xuebing Army to train our soldiers?"
"No, I just think that their experience can be promoted. If the Chinese can do it, why can't we do it? In some aspects, the Chinese are indeed ahead of us. There is an old Chinese saying."
Vicente became more and more enthusiastic as he spoke, and Wavell couldn't listen anymore. He waved his hand and interrupted him: "Vicente, how did I find out that you went to Hanoi? It seems that you have been brainwashed by the Chinese."
"Commander-in-Chief, I, I just feel it too deeply."
Wavell took out the report written by Clary from the drawer and handed it to Vicent: "You should also read this report."
Vincent nodded, took over and scanned ten lines at a time, and finally took a breath and said, "This Ouyang Yun has such great ambitions."
"Do you think so too, Vicente, you are a sensible person. You just said that what we should pay most attention to are the French soldiers who have received training from the cadet army. No matter how good the equipment is, it is useless without the right people to use it." ,,Would you give it to the Japanese again? Doing this stupid thing once is enough. The weapons and equipment of the Xuebing Army are indeed good and worth buying, but I want to give priority to fighter planes. Fighter planes are the least likely to be captured, and our aviation force is still very weak. Brave, now there is a problem. If the Chinese insist on the conditions they have determined and will not let go, what should we do? I can see that the Chinese really have the idea of attacking the French Far East Fleet, you know the "Singapore Retreat", I planned that. Bai Sihua must have confessed me, and Ouyang Yun has made it clear that if we don't help them plot against the French, we must apologize and compensate for the relevant losses, otherwise they will not agree to the deal... …”
"Commander-in-Chief, what do you mean?"
"I want to wait."
"wait."
"Yes, let's wait until they pass this hurdle. Next, the Japanese will definitely use troops against the Indochina Federation first. If the Xuebing Army cannot pass this hurdle, is there any need to talk?"