"What!?" Iida Shojiro's eyes widened with a cannibalistic expression on his face, "Yue Weihan went to Mandalay!?"
"This is impossible!" Isayama Haruki also exclaimed uncontrollably, "Incredible, this is simply unbelievable. Doesn't Yue Weihan know that Mandalay will soon fall and his Sixth Army will soon be destroyed?
Or, does he really think that he can change the outcome of the Battle of Mandalay on his own? Sato-kun, are you hearing wrong?"
"Hai." The major officer suddenly lowered his head and said, "General, the news is conclusive."
"Madman!" Isayama Haruki said in awe after hearing this, "This is truly a madman who cannot be measured by ordinary people's mentality!"
"That's fine!" Shojiro Iida slapped the edge of the sand table and said ferociously, "Yue Weihan went to Mandalay in person to supervise the battle, which will definitely cause great obstacles to the imperial army's plan to encircle and annihilate the Sixth China Army.
But it also gave the imperial army the opportunity to eliminate Yue Weihan, a serious enemy of his, in one fell swoop. This time, we must capture Yue Weihan alive no matter what!"
Mandalay, 49th Division Headquarters.
While it was still dark and the Japanese army had not yet launched an attack, Yue Weihan summoned all officers of the Sixth Army, including battalion commanders and above, and held an emergency military meeting at the 49th Division headquarters.
In the conference room, all the officers were already present.
The front row is for the chiefs of staff of three divisions, and there are still a few empty seats. The next two rows are for the commanders and chiefs of staff of nine regiments, and behind them are 27 infantry battalions and a dozen division-affiliated artillery battalions.
More than 70 people, including battalion commanders of the barracks, supply battalions and other units directly under their control, filled the room. If the Japanese air force dropped a bomb here, the battle would be unnecessary.
"Commander-in-Chief Yue is here!" The guard's loud roar suddenly sounded outside the conference room door.
The more than seventy officers in the conference room immediately turned their heads and looked at the entrance!
Amidst heavy footsteps, Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese Expeditionary Force Yue Weihan strode into the conference room, surrounded by Major General Luo Youlun, Chief of Staff of the Fifth Army, and three major generals including Peng Bisheng, Lu Guoshuan, and Chen Mianyue.
Major General Luo Youlun and the other four people quickly entered the front row and took their seats, while Yue Weihan stood on the rostrum.
Yue Weihan put his hands behind his back, his sharp eyes as sharp as a knife passed over the faces of all the officers one by one, and then said in a deep voice: "Before boarding the plane, someone secretly said something about me behind my back, saying that I flew to Mandalay at this critical time.
, it’s a show, it’s to win over the morale of the Sixth Army, it’s also to gain fame and attract attention!”
There was silence in the conference room. Apparently, the officers of the Sixth Army also had such suspicions.
Although Yue Weihan has threatened to live and die with all the officers and soldiers of the Sixth Army in the message announcing the army, no one is sure whether he can be consistent with his words and deeds in the end! Since the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, how many senior generals of the Communist Party of China have
He once threatened to live and die with his officers and soldiers, but before the last moment came, most of the generals abandoned their troops and ran away.
There are still only a few senior generals who can truly live and die with their officers and soldiers. Will Yue Weihan be one of them?
In the suffocating silence, Yue Weihan said loudly: "Today, I will keep my words here. As long as there is still one person who insists on resisting in Mandalay, I will never leave here for half a step! If anyone sees me here
If I step out of here even half a step before the Battle of Mandalay ends, anyone can shoot me with a black gun! My brother-in-law’s death will not be a pity!”
Applause, warm applause suddenly erupted in the conference room, and even senior military officers such as Luo Youlun and Peng Bisheng could not help but join in the applause. Although the concept of loyalty to Chairman Chiang had long been integrated into their bones, this did not hinder
They admire and respect Yue Weihan because Yue Weihan is a real soldier!
Yue Weihan pressed his hands repeatedly, and the warm applause gradually subsided.
"Just now, I noticed that in addition to admiration, there was also anger in your eyes." After the applause subsided, Yue Weihan continued, "I saw undisguised anger! I know why you are angry, because Mr. Yue once
There have been inappropriate remarks about the Sixth Army, and even more so because you have questioned the necessity of the Battle of Mandalay!"
"As for the excessive remarks about the Sixth Army, I officially retract them today."
"The Sixth Army is by no means a ragtag group, but a truly powerful force!"
"For the survival of the country, for the survival of the nation, millions of Sanxiang people are fighting bloody battles on the battlefield. Many of them have sacrificed their young lives. Your bravery is enough to move the heaven and the earth! Future generations
, and your deeds will always be remembered, and your immortal legend will be forever cast on the Chinese Heroes Monument!"
The conference room burst into warm applause again, and many officers even shed tears.
Since the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, the Sanxiang soldiers have tried their best, but the situation has failed. Although they risked their lives and fought bloody battles on the battlefield, they were still defeated in battles and abandoned cities and lost ground.
They have been burdened with too much infamy, but today, they finally heard a fair evaluation from the top!
Waving his hand to signal silence, Yue Weihan added: "Now, let me tell you the reason why you insist on defending Mandalay!"
After saying that, Yue Weihan looked around at the crowd and smiled and said: "In the past few days, I believe that everyone here has cursed me behind my back, scolding me for being slow to react, risking human lives, and rejecting dissenters... It doesn't matter, because you don't know the entire battle.
Deployment, but now, it’s time to let you know the entire battle plan!”
Chongqing, Operations Department of the Central Military Commission.
General He, General Chen, General Bai and other senior generals of the party and state were contemplating around the simulated sand table. The sand table was showing the offensive and defensive postures of the Chinese and Japanese armies in Myanmar. The combat staff of the combat office were quite capable.
Yes, although they were not on the front line in Myanmar, they basically laid out the war situation in Myanmar based on the war situation reports sent back by the expeditionary force.
"I don't know what it means, I just don't know what it means." General Chen patted the edge of the sand table and said, "The main force of the 39th Army is still far away in northern Yunnan, and the Fifth Army has been unable to cross the Irrawaddy River. Mandalay has already become a step ahead.
Dead Chess, does Yue Weihan really think he can turn the tide of the battle on his own?"
"Yes, looking at the overall situation, there is no need to hold on to Mandalay." Admiral He also nodded in agreement, "Keeping Mandalay only wins the local initiative in the next stage, which will affect the entire war situation in Myanmar.
It doesn’t have much impact, but is it worth sacrificing more than 20,000 officers and soldiers of the Sixth Army for such a trivial initiative?"
The generals in the war room all turned their attention to General Bai and General Xue Yue.
When it comes to tactical command capabilities and battlefield insights, among the senior generals of the Japanese nation present, no one can compare with General Bai and General Xue Yue. However, at this moment, General Bai and General Xue Yue also frowned.
, they also can’t guess what kind of medicine Yue Weihan sells in his gourd?
General Xue Yue touched his chin and said to General Bai: "Mr. Jiang, what do you think?"
Admiral Bai shook his head and smiled bitterly: "I really can't guess. Yue Weihan has always advocated using swords to take a slanted approach, and he also likes to take risks. If he can't fight head-on, he will never fight the enemy head-on. But this time
, but he went out of his way and not only strictly ordered the Sixth Army to defend Mandalay, but also went to the front line to supervise the battle in person, which was very abnormal!"
"If something goes wrong, it must be a monster!" General Xue Yue nodded and said thoughtfully, "Now it is basically certain that Yue Weihan must have other intentions, but I just don't know what his plot is? The war situation in Myanmar has already changed.
It’s getting clearer, and the situation between ourselves and the enemy is also very clear. I really can’t think of anything else to write about?”
Ramgarh base, India.
General Alexander, Commander-in-Chief of the British-Burmese Army, was chatting with Sir Sir Smith, the Governor-General in Burma.
"General, do you think the Chinese Expeditionary Force can defeat the Japanese?" Sir Smith asked.
Alexander shook his head and said regretfully: "Originally, there was still a chance, but now, due to the stupid command of the new commander of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, Yue Weihan, the Sixth Army went deep alone, and more than 20,000 people were trapped in the Japanese army.
The entire army will be wiped out soon, so I’m afraid Myanmar won’t be able to take it back.”
Smith frowned and said, "But I heard that Yue Weihan is a famous general."
"Famous general?" Alexander exclaimed, "That's just a rumor made by the Chinese government."
After that, Alexander said with great disdain: "Since the middle of the 19th century, the Chinese have degenerated, and their army has long lost its blood. I thought back then, two thousand British troops could capture the capital of China. Such a country
, What kind of combat effectiveness can such a nation and such an army have, and how can a famous general emerge?"
"You mean, Yue Weihan blew it?" Smith said in disbelief.
"Of course." Alexander curled his lips and said softly, "The Chinese have suffered too many defeats. If they don't create one or two famous generals to win people's hearts, I'm afraid their army will have collapsed long ago, and their people will
I'm afraid I have already lost my will to resist. This is just a political trick and not worth a penny."
"Alas." Smith sighed, "It seems I can't go back to Myanmar."
"Don't be discouraged, Mr. Governor." Alexander patted Smith on the shoulder and said humorously, "The British Empire's army will soon stabilize its position in Africa, and will turn to counterattack in the near future. As long as Europe is solved,
Nazi Germany on the battlefield and the Japanese on the Asian battlefield are nothing to worry about. After all, Burma still belongs to the British Empire."
Wuhan, headquarters of the Japanese 3rd Army Corps.
General Okamura Neiji, commander of the Central China Front, was playing chess with Lieutenant General Okabe Naosaburo, commander of the 3rd Army Corps. The chess game had entered the middle of the game. Okamura Neiji had surrounded a big dragon of Okabe Naosaburo. The two sides were surrounding each other.
This big dragon started an extremely brutal fight on the chess board, just like the Japanese army's war of aggression against China.
"Your Excellency, General, what is your opinion on the war situation in Burma?" Naosaburo Okabe slammed a sunspot on the chessboard and asked.
Okamura Neji frowned for a moment, and then remained silent for a long time, but he didn't know whether it was because he was unwilling to answer this question, or because Okabe Naosaburo's move made him fall into a long test.
Upon seeing this, Naosaburo Okabe hurriedly said: "If you feel inconvenienced, General, just don't say anything."
As the commander of the Central China Front, it is indeed inappropriate to comment rashly on the war situation in Myanmar. Although this is only a private occasion, it is inevitable that he will be suspected of slandering the Southern Army and Juichi Terauchi.
Okamura Neiji was silent for a while, then asked without answering: "Okabe-kun, what do you think?"
"I think the war situation in Myanmar is a bit strange." Naosaburo Okabe said thoughtfully, "Especially the Battle of Mandalay, I can't understand it at all. Needless to say, Yue Weihan's difficulty. The general and I have already
I have learned this many times, but he ordered the Sixth Army to defend Mandalay, but no matter how you look at it, it is a dead move!"
"Do you also think that the Sixth Army's insistence on defending Mandalay is a dead end?" Okamura Neiji asked quietly.
Naosaburo Okabe shook his head and smiled bitterly: "My intuition tells me that Yue Weihan's move should have a deeper meaning, but I really can't see the reason, because the war situation in Myanmar is already very clear. As long as there are no big surprises,
In as little as three days or as long as seven days, the imperial army will definitely conquer Mandalay, and Yue Weihan may not be able to escape this disaster."
"The 39th Group Army has arrived in northern Yunnan." Okamura Neiji said, "Okabe-kun, you should not ignore the factor of the US Air Force."
"I didn't ignore it." Naosaburo Okabe said disapprovingly, "But even if the U.S. Air Force gives up transporting war supplies to the Chinese government and goes all out to airlift troops of the 39th Group Army, it can only transport one regiment of troops to Mandalay every day at most!
If the imperial army interferes at all costs, this number will be even less!"
"You don't need a regiment." Okamura Neiji shook his head and said quietly, "Yue Weihan only needs to airlift one battalion of troops to Mandalay every day, which is enough to stop the war situation in Mandalay from continuing to deteriorate.
Forgot, the 55th and 56th Divisions are already tired divisions, while the 39th Group Army has been recharging its strength for a long time."
"So what?" Naosaburo Okabe said, "In five days at most, the Guards Division will rush to Mandalay. After the Guards Division joins the Mandalay battlefield, will there be any suspense in this battle?
"
Okamura Neiji said: "Okabe-kun, you still underestimate the mental and willpower of the *** Army, especially the predecessor of the Sixth Army is the Hunan Army, which is known for its powerful combat effectiveness! As long as the Chinese decisively abandon the peripheral defense line,
If we defend the city center and engage in street fighting with the imperial army, there is absolutely no problem in holding on for half a month. Even if the Guards Division arrives and goes to the battlefield, it will not help."
"Half a month?" Naosaburo Okabe frowned, "In half a month, China's Fifth Army will be able to cross the river."
"It's not just the threat of the Fifth China Army. In these half a month, Yue Weihan can use the British base in India to forcibly train an airborne force and then invest it here!" After that, Okamura Neiji
As soon as a white stone was struck heavily on the chess board, the big dragon that Okabe Naosaburo was surrounded by suddenly had no way to escape.
"Airborne troops?" Naosaburo Okabe stared blankly at the chessboard and said solemnly, "Rangoon!?"
"To be precise, it's Yangon Airport!" Okamura Neiji said quietly, "Yue Weihan has great ambitions. If his plan succeeds, then the Southeast Asian battlefield will probably become the first allied force to switch to strategic counterattack.