Montgomery actually had no second option at this time, such as retreating along the original route. Of course, the cost would be high. In that case, his left wing troops would definitely be eaten by the Germans. The size of his left wing troops was similar to that of the right wing. This means that not only did he not gain any benefit from this attack, but he also lost half of his army for no reason. This will bring about a more serious consequence. If the Chinese continue to pursue the policy they implemented in Indochina, With a set of policies, the British will be marginalized in North Africa. In other words, the next war will have nothing to do with the British. In addition, because Montgomery provoked this battle, as the instigator, he There is certainly no way to escape punishment. At the least, he will quit the military. At the worst, he may be taken to a military court. Therefore, Montgomery will not be willing to choose this path, both in public and private matters.
The ambush battle of the three-fingered escargot turned out to be like this. Montgomery knew what the problem was. Therefore, if there was a better choice, he would never bow to the Chinese. Yes, in his heart , Montgomery already hated the Chinese to the bone, and believed that the reason why the British Army in North Africa was in the current predicament was deliberately caused by the Chinese. However, he did not want to think that if he strengthened reconnaissance and intelligence collection, it could actually be completely avoided. Montgomery did not He is not an outstanding politician or actor. He hates the Chinese people in his heart. Even if he is forced to ask for help from the Chinese people, he does not have the proper attitude. He does not even have a correct attitude. Naturally, it is impossible. In response to the call of the Chinese, they obediently handed over the command of the British troops in North Africa. Guo Cairen said that the British were not sincere enough, and this was exactly what he was referring to.
Just as Chu Tiange thought that the British would be happy to take advantage of it and outflank the German North African Army, Montgomery also believed that even if the Chinese were dissatisfied with him, whether the Chinese North African Army and the aircraft carrier Wu De Tian Wang would send troops to assist him. , and will not let go of this rare opportunity.
It is indeed a rare opportunity. With the British working hard at the front, the Chinese army only needs to take advantage of the situation and intervene to gain a big victory at a relatively small cost. Why not do it.
Montgomery took it for granted. Not to mention that Ouyang Yun and Guderian had signed a secret agreement. There was actually a tacit understanding between Chu Tiange, Chen Shichang and Rommel. They would only send troops to North Africa from the North African Corps and the aircraft carrier fleet Wudaitianwang. In terms of purpose, before the British agreed to become a part of the North African Allied Forces under the leadership of the Chinese army, how could they ignore the orders of the Supreme Command and rashly send troops to aid the British.
Montgomery was certain that the Chinese would send troops, so he commanded the main force in the center to rescue the left-wing British troops regardless of the danger of being trapped in a tight siege. There was a fierce exchange of fire with the German troops in the Gangang area about 50 kilometers northeast of Merlin. The development of the war was just like that of Chen Shichang and Chu Tian. As Song expected, the British army fell into a tight siege by the German army. Rommel also took the risk. He mobilized the North African German army in western Libya and used more than 200,000 troops to defeat the British army in North Africa. Gangang was surrounded by layers of troops, and waves of annihilation battles began.
The intensity of the battle between the German and British troops in the Gangang area soon exceeded the expectations of Chu Tiange and Chen Shichang. They had dealt with the British for many years in Southeast Asia and thought they understood the British temperament, so they suddenly could not adapt to the British. People are brave and good at fighting. When they received the battle report from the front line, they learned that the British army had dispatched two infantry divisions in succession to compete for a high ground. Even though more than 10,000 people died, they still refused to give up the fight for the high ground. Chu Tiange and Chen Shichang not only They looked at each other and wondered, are they still British?
Between Chu Tiange and Chen Shichang, Chu Tiange was kinder and more generous. He even suggested giving the British some air fire support to help them restrain the German tanks.
Chen Shichang firmly disagreed and asked Chu Tiange: "Who do the British hate the most right now?"
Chu Tiange was quite self-aware about this issue: "Of course it was us. He thought we had crippled the Germans before he ran out to pick fruits. But..." At this point, he shook his head, even though he was disappointed with the British. People already feel compassion, but they are still quite shameless of Montgomery's behavior.
Chen Shichang: "Are you planning to repay evil with kindness?"
Chu Tiange was startled and couldn't help but straighten his figure and said: "That's right, I almost forgot. Let's wait until they are desperate."
"Anyway, we have offended the British. Do we still care about the degree? If the British are not sincere, we will not support them. This is North Africa and we have no foundation. If the British deliberately cause trouble, we will have a temporary military advantage." , but in the future, since there is an opportunity to be saved once and for all, why don’t we seize it.”
The Battle of Gangang has progressed so far, and both the German and British sides have suffered very heavy losses. For the commanders of the two armies, they actually knew early on that the harder they fought, the easier it would be for the Chinese. But even so, because the two armies There is no possibility of peace between the countries at all, so even though they have the intention to retreat, they can only grit their teeth and hold on.
Chen Shichang and Chu Tiange actually ignored an issue here, that is, the Battle of Gangang could not only help them completely surrender the British and force the latter to give up the supreme command of the North African Allied Forces, but also allow the Germans to Recognize the irreplaceable role of Chinese power in the North African war situation.
Therefore, for them, the best outcome of the Battle of Gangang is that both Germany and Britain suffer losses, rather than one side winning a big victory and the other side suffering a disastrous defeat.
The two frontline commanders may not have been able to see through this because they were in the mountains. Fortunately, they had enough onlookers. The bystanders knew clearly. Ouyang Yun in Chongqing and Bai Chongxi in Ryukyu were both aware of this. subtle relationship.
"The performance of the British is impressive. The more so, the more support will be delayed. We must see that once we support the British army, we can only follow this path to completely defeat the Germans..." This is Ouyang Yun was convinced after reading the war analysis of the Battle of Gangang sent by Bai Chongxi to the Supreme Command. He then called Chu Tiange and Chen Shichang again and again, asking them to grasp the opportunity to send troops. , don’t be deceived by the Germans or the British. At the same time, he called Guderian and told him that this was the best time for La Longmaire to enter the game. In the telegram, he pointed out that China’s North African expedition The army has shown enough goodwill. If General Rommel still does not appreciate it, then what will greet him next will be the most determined blow from Chinese power.