On April 18th, the sun shone brightly on the back, and the breeze slowly swayed the refreshing ripples, making it a great daylight.

In the conference room of the regimental headquarters of the 66th Regiment, the generals hurried to arrive, and as soon as they entered the door, they noticed a solemn atmosphere in the air.

Li Siwei sat on the main seat, smoking a cigarette silently, his delicate face was a little gloomy, and his thick eyebrows were slightly frowned.

After the generals took their seats one after another, Li Siwei threw away the cigarette butts, cheered up his spirits, swept the generals, and slowly opened his mouth, "I just received an order from the headquarters: the Battle of Pingmanna has been canceled." ”

"Why is it canceled again?"

The generals were stunned and shouted one after another, "We withdrew without a fight in Tonggu, and when we arrived in Pingmanna, we retreated without a fight, and then retreated like this......"

"That's it!"

Li Siwei's face was pale, he waved his hand irritably, his eyes slowly swept over the generals, swept over the faces of hidden dissatisfaction and the pairs of unwilling eyes, and sighed softly, "This is an order!" ”

The generals were stunned, and they were all silent.

The military order is like a mountain!

Once the order is given, what else can be done besides executing the order?

Strategic decisions come from high-level generals, how can grassroots officers be allowed to beak?

"Brothers,"

Li Siwei looked around at the generals again and opened his mouth with difficulty, "No surprises...... Get ready to retreat! ”

"Retreat?"

All the generals were shocked, their expressions changed drastically, and they stared at Li Siwei tightly, "Commander, you mean ......?"

Li Siwei sighed softly, his face full of bitterness, "Plan for the worst, prepare for the best, I hope my worries are superfluous!" ”

This is not Li Siwei's worry, but the history he is familiar with in his previous life -- the first expeditionary force entered Burma and ended in a fiasco, and tens of thousands of soldiers were killed in the savage mountains of the Hukang River Valley.

The worries of the generals dispersed, and Li Siwei silently took out a cigarette and smoked it, with a solemn expression.

"Commander,"

Zheng Sanyang looked at Li Siwei with a hesitant expression, "Since the Manchu Qing Dynasty, my country has been weak for more than 100 years...... That's how it ended! ”

"Three sheep,"

Li Siwei threw away the half-lit cigarette, shook his head gently, looked at the bright sunshine outside the door and smiled bitterly, "I understand the mood of the brothers, and I also understand that morale is available, but ...... We're all just pawns! ”

In the hearts of the world, generals should be majestic, and soldiers should be brave and brave, but every soldier knows that he is just a pawn in the big game of war!

The chess players are too stinky, how can the chess pieces win?

Zheng Sanyang was stunned when he heard this, speechless.

Why didn't he understand this?

Chen Huaili naturally understood this truth, and when he heard this, he slammed his fist on the table and scolded angrily, "Damn, Lao Tzu...... Father...... Ay! ”

As the first Chinese army to fight abroad in more than 100 years, the officers and men of the expeditionary force have long put life and death aside and are bent on prestige in foreign lands...... They are just pawns in the game, and it is up to them to advance and retreat!

The atmosphere in the conference room became heavy, Li Siwei took out another cigarette and lit it, slowly stood up, and walked to the door silently, with thick eyebrows and heavy steps.

As a human being in two lifetimes, Li Siwei naturally knew the outcome of the expeditionary force's first entry into Burma, knew the methods of the British army in Chokpadang, and also understood the serious consequences caused by the loss of Lashio...... So, he always wanted to do something to stop that tragedy.

But what can be done to change and prevent that tragedy?

Now go to Commander Luo and tell him that the Anglo-Burmese allies are about to lie about the enemy situation in Chokpadang?

However, the 1st Division of the Anglo-Burmese Army is now besieged in Ringanqiang, waiting for the newly formed 38th Division to come to the rescue, how can Commander Luo believe that the newly rescued Anglo-Burmese Army will save his life with his benefactor!

Now go to Commander Luo and tell him that the Japanese will make a long-distance attack on Lashio from the Eastern Front, cut off the retreat of the expeditionary force, and finally let tens of thousands of soldiers of the expeditionary force cut off the Savage Mountain?

However, the expeditionary force is full of talents, and Chief Luo and Chief Du are already veteran generals in the army, as well as the senior staff members of the staff group, so they naturally understand the importance of Lashio to the expeditionary force, so how can they be defenseless?

How difficult the world is, the most desperate thing is that many things have already known the ending, but they are powerless to change them!

It has been more than a month since the expeditionary force entered Burma, and the generals have already clearly felt the urine nature of the Anglo-Burmese army, but even if there is still a glimmer of hope, no one wants to lose this ally.

Therefore, no matter what excuses the British and Burmese army make, they have to believe it!

Therefore, even if the British and Burmese troops abandoned Magway and retreated without authorization, and finally fell into the siege of Ren'anqiang, the officers and men of the new 38th Division had to desperately save them!

On 17 April, Commander Sun of the newly formed 38th Division personally went to the front line and formulated a rescue plan: Deputy Division Commander Qi personally led the 112th Regiment to flank the enemy's flank from the direction of Kannat, and contacted the 17th Division of the British Army and the 7th Armored Brigade to flank the enemy at Ren'anqiang from the direction of Namaung, and launched a surprise attack in the direction of the Binhe Bridge, striving to annihilate the enemy on the north bank of the Binhe River in one fell swoop......

At dawn on the 18th, the various units launched a surprise attack according to this plan, and after a hard battle until the afternoon, the 113th Regiment successfully cleared the enemy on the north bank of the Bin River and took control of the Bin River Bridge, but due to the heavy casualties of the various units, the repeated crossings of the river were unsuccessful.

At half past four o'clock in the morning of the 19th, in the dense forest on the small plateau on the east side of the bridgehead of the Binhe Bridge, Division Commander Sun successively received reports from various departments: "The preparations are complete, but the enemy has not noticed!" ”

"Hit!"

Master Sun waved his hand, and in an instant, the cannon roared, and the gunfire suddenly rang out, and the silent and dark night was shattered.

After a fierce battle near noon, the 1st Battalion successfully captured Ringanqiang, the 2nd Battalion captured the 510 Heights, and the 3rd Battalion took control of the 501 Heights......

More than 7,000 British allies, who had been starving and thirsting for several days and were on the verge of despair, were saved, but the 522 soldiers of the 113th Regiment fell forever on a foreign land.

When the soldiers of the British army who had just been rescued dragged their extremely weak bodies and hugged the soldiers of the 113th Regiment who saved their birth, they burst into tears, and after being surprised, they couldn't help but wet their eyes with tears.

In the first battle of Ren'anqiang, the soldiers of the 113th Regiment defeated several times the enemy, rescued more than 7,000 Anglo-Burmese allied troops, and caused a sensation in the British Isles with their heroic and good fighting.

It stands to reason that the Anglo-Burmese allies should be of one heart and one mind with the expeditionary force, right?

However, what happened next made the soldiers of the expeditionary force feel cold!

In Li Siwei's mind, April 19 was an important day, and in his memory, it was on this day that a false message sent by the Anglo-Burmese Allied forces from Chokpadang caused the expeditionary force to lose its last fighter plane, and finally suffered a complete defeat.

It was almost noon, and the units of the 66th Regiment had already made the best preparations for retreat, and Li Siwei took Liu Tianfu out of the garrison and went straight to the commander's headquarters.

"Dash...... Da ...... Da ......"

As the commander's headquarters approached, Li Siwei slowly retracted the reins, and his expression hesitated.

"Regiment Leader," Liu Tianfu also slowed down his horse, and looked at Li Siwei with a puzzled face, "What's wrong?" ”

"Heavenly Blessing,"

Li Siwei looked in the direction of the commander's headquarters from afar, and a wry smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, "You say...... What does it take to change a person's mind? ”

The so-called "the country is easy to change, but the nature is difficult to change", it is not easy to change your own mind, let alone change the mind of others?

"Uh......"

Liu Tianfu froze for a moment, looked at Li Siwei's side face with a wry smile, and gritted his teeth, "Leader, I don't know how to change other people's minds, but I know that you have changed my mind...... In the past, I wanted to be a lawless pole, but now, I want to be an upright soldier! ”

"Huh,"

Li Siwei glanced back at Liu Tianfu, and his smile became relaxed, "Hearing you say this, Lao Tzu has a little confidence!" ”

As he spoke, Li Siwei shook the reins, rode his horse and went straight to the direction of the commander's headquarters, "Let's go, Lao Tzu will try it......"

However, it is up to the commander of a regiment to persuade the commander to change his mind...... I'm afraid it's not easy!

But, it can't be as difficult as it is, Li Siwei has to go, just ask for a clear conscience!

The two of them hurried to the commander's headquarters, but they were told that Chief Luo was in a meeting, and Li Siwei had to wait in the courtyard.

Waiting is always an anxious thing, Li Siwei paced back and forth in a corner of the courtyard, but he was thinking about how to convince Chief Luo.

Suddenly, Li Siwei's heart moved, stopped, looked up in the direction of the conference room, and his expression became bright.

"Vice Chief Du, you must carry out the order!"

At this moment, General Stilwell's angry roar sounded in the conference room, "The 200th Division must leave for Chokpadang immediately, if you don't go, the Anglo-Burmese Allied forces will be withdrawn!" ”

"Even if Chokba really discovers the 3,000 Japanese invaders, the Allies will be safe with the new 38th Division to cover the retreat,"

Commander Du's voice was also much higher, implying anger, "I insist on my proposition: since our army has given up the prepared Battle of Pingmanna due to the tightness of the eastern and western fronts, we should concentrate our forces to protect the two major gateways of Lashio - Tangji and Mui Miao, and should not do the unprepared Battle of Mandalay, let alone divide the troops Chokpadang because of the words of the allies, otherwise, our army will be scattered and can neither defend nor attack, and sooner or later it will fall into chaos, and I cannot take this responsibility!" ”

"You ......"

General Stilwell seemed to be a little angry, and scolded angrily, "Doesn't the Chinese army just eat and not fight? ”

"I eat Chinese food, not British food!"

Chief Du finally became angry and-for-tat, "Unless you have a direct order from the chairman, otherwise, it will be difficult to obey your orders......

"Light Pavilion,"

Commander Luo interrupted Commander Du, with a consultative tone, "The 200th Division is still open to the vicinity of Chokpadang, with one division to search for the enemy's situation, with the main force to control the standby, and to support the operation of the new 38th Division......"

Chief Luo's voice gradually lowered and became inaudible, but Li Siwei's heart had sunk to the bottom, so he had to turn around and leave silently.

With Chief Du's status and prestige, he still can't convince General Stilwell and Chief Luo to change their decision, what can Li Siwei do with a small regimental commander who is soft-spoken?

"Commander,"

Seeing Li Siwei walking out of the headquarters with a lonely expression, Liu Tianfu hurriedly greeted him, looking worried, "Didn't it work?" ”

Li Siwei glanced at Liu Tianfu and smiled reluctantly, but he saw that people were bitter in their hearts, "It's going to rain, and the mother wants to marry, let it be!" ”

Saying that, Li Siwei took the reins and climbed on horseback, his voice bitter, "Let's go, go back and prepare well, I'm afraid the days ahead will be very sad!" ”

The world loves heroic stories that turn the tide, and they also aspire to turn the tide by themselves.

However, most of the time, we can only watch the worst come step by step, and there is nothing we can do.

This is the real world!

This is the real life!

Whether it is said that General Stilwell and Chief Luo were convinced of the intelligence of the Anglo-Burmese Allied Army, or that General Stilwell and Chief Luo blindly protected the Anglo-Burmese Allied Army, they finally insisted on dividing their troops Chok Padang to resist the 3,000 Japanese invaders who did not exist at all, and to cover the Anglo-Burmese Allied Army to continue to retreat north.

At this point, Li Siwei can already foresee the end of the expeditionary force, and perhaps, the only thing he can do is to make more preparations and bring his brothers back to China alive.

Li Siwei returned to the station with a sad heart, and cheered up his spirit to arrange for all departments to prepare for the upcoming predicament.

At the same time, the situation on the battlefield in Burma began to change dramatically.

On 20 April, the forward unit of the 200th Division, the Motorized Infantry Regiment, rushed to Chok Padang and searched for it, only to see a large number of British and Burmese troops retreating in confusion under the cover of the newly formed 38th Division.

On the same day, the British troops stationed in the frontal line of Mandalay again retreated without saying goodbye and retreated towards the Indo-Burmese border.

At the same time, the Eastern Front Luo Yikao was lost, Tang Ji was already in danger, and Lashio was unstable.

On 21 April, the 200th Division of the Fifth Army and the troops directly under the corps were ordered to transfer from Chokpadang on the Western Front to Tangji to block the enemy advancing north from Tangji.

On the afternoon of 23 April, the Fifth Army's advance cavalry regiment and the 200th Division encountered the enemy at Heihe, west of Tangji, and the Battle of Tangji began.

By the 25th, the officers and men of the 200th Division reoccupied Tangji and cleared the Japanese on the front line of Tangji, and the battle situation eased slightly.

At this moment, a telegram was sent to Commander Du - the Fifth Army was ordered to return to Mandalay!

On 26 April, the 5200th Division abandoned the Tangji defensive line and retreated westward towards Mandalay.

On 28 April, a thunderbolt of news reached Kyaukxi, the new headquarters of the Expeditionary Force Commander's Headquarters, where traces of the main force of the Japanese 56th Division had been found in a valley more than 20 miles north of Lashio.

Within a few days, the 56th Division of the Japanese invaders completed a thousand-mile detour to northern Burma, like a sharp sword, slashed at the expeditionary force's retreat - Lashio, and defeated the provisional 55th Division of the 66th Army of the expeditionary force stationed in Lashio in one fell swoop, occupied Lashio on the same day, cutting off the expeditionary force's way home!

At the same time, General Alexander, known for his successful command of the Dunkirk retreat, had hastily led his troops to the Indo-Burmese border, completely abandoning his Chinese allies.

Since then, the defeat of the expeditionary force in the first battle into Burma has been decided.

It's just that this defeat was too sudden, and the defeat was too worthless!

Looking back on the Tonggu defensive battle, the 200th Division fought alone for more than ten days without losing the wind, and then looked at the great victory of Ren'anqiang, the new 38th Division succeeded in one fell swoop, shaking the British Isles...... It can be seen that there is no doubt that the officers and men of the expeditionary force dare to fight and can fight!

However, such a force ended up in such a defeat, which cannot but be embarrassing!

In fact, if you can look from the sidelines, you will understand that as early as March 8, when the British appointed General Alexander to succeed him as Commander-in-Chief of Britain and Burma, today's defeat could have been predicted.

After all, this Alexander General is famous as the "Runaway General"!

Whatever the reason, Lashio was lost, and the only way for the expeditionary force to return home was Myitkyina.

At the time of the fall of Lashio, the 66th Regiment boarded a train to Myitkyina with the Commander's Headquarters and embarked on the road home.