readx; In February, the war was still far from the south. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

Spring in northern Myanmar is bright and peaceful.

Wildflowers are blooming everywhere, and cattle graze on the hillsides. Tall palm trees sway beautifully in the spring breeze, imposing stupas shine under the blue sky, and wisps of cooking smoke rise from the bamboo building. From time to time, the affectionate singing of girls and young men could be heard in the col.

In the beautiful and magical foreign land, the Chinese Expeditionary Force is galloping southward at full speed. Farmland, villages, ancient trees, Buddhist temples, flashed in front of you. When passing through the bustling towns, the local overseas Chinese, dressed in colorful clothes, waved small flags to welcome them, boxes of cigarettes, bags of candy, bouquets of flowers, raindrops fell on the car, and the slogan of "welcome the Chinese expeditionary force to Burma to fight" echoed in the sky over Burma. The exotic, heroic march made people rush with passion and enthusiasm, and the officers and men even forgot that they were going to meet the sound of artillery.

For the Chinese Expeditionary Force, however, Burma is a battlefield that is both strange and fraught with danger. However, the [***] team is also an army that completely lacks foreign combat experience. Since Genghis Khan of the Yuan Dynasty, the Chinese [***] team has not fought a single battle abroad and fired a single shot.

After the town of Lashio, the troops began to change trains and march south. Going deep into the territory of Burma, the squadron was constantly exposed to some disturbing situations, and only then did they know that Burma was a very dangerous battlefield.

The terrain of Myanmar is extremely complex, with high mountains, crisscrossed rivers, dense tropical jungles throughout the territory, and very difficult transportation, which is extremely unfavorable for the movement of mechanized troops. The hot climate is also unbearable. Although it is February and March, the temperature often reaches as high as 40C. The squadron lacked the equipment to fight in the tropics, and some of them wore thick winter clothes.

Although the army is still in the southern part of Burma, it has already penetrated into the north. Generally speaking, the Burmese people have no grudge against China, but they hate the British. The British colonists have ruled Myanmar for more than a hundred years. He said that he had ill intentions and posted leaflets everywhere: "It is time to drive out the evil British" and "This army will help Burma to read the power."

If I say this kind of thing myself, I am afraid that the common people will not believe it. But they bought a lot of Burmese monks and let the monks help. Myanmar is a Buddhist country, and the words of the monks are the words of the Buddha. As a result, most of the common people fell to the side of the book. Everywhere the Chinese Expeditionary Force went, except for overseas Chinese, the locals fled in despair. In this regard, the officers and soldiers were puzzled: We are here to help you fight the book, what are you running for?

How do the Chinese know that in the eyes of the Burmese, they have been seen as an accomplice of the British old Maozi.

No one knows what medicine the British sell in their gourds. The railway was in their hands, and the trains transporting the [***] team stopped and went, and sometimes the locomotive was inexplicably transferred, and the Chinese officers and soldiers were left on the railway, waiting for hours. On the contrary, a train full of British troops withdrew at Cang Queen. And some Burmese annihilators made trouble everywhere, set fires, poisoned them, dug railroad tracks, and attacked military vehicles, making chickens and dogs restless.

The Chinese [***] team does not understand the language, the terrain is unfamiliar, the climate is unsuitable, and the intelligence is not good. Only then did the officers and men feel strongly that we were originally a foreign army, fighting on other lands.

Du Yuming himself was even more unlucky. His special train did not go far from Lashio, but it was plotted by the Burmese annihilation, the road spikes were loosened, the train was overturned, and Du Yuming was smashed and his face was covered with blood and bruises. He was the deputy commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force, but the commander-in-chief Wei Lihuang never arrived for some reason, so he had to replace him with a deputy commander. Unexpectedly, with a heavy responsibility on his shoulders, he just put on the battle, and he stumbled and planted a big heel.

Fortunately, he was not injured, but the car window glass scratched his face miserably, and there were several bloody wounds, so the doctor had to wrap the whole face tightly with gauze, leaving only the mouth, nostrils, and eyes.

Poor Vice President Du became a "cloth man". He was so anxious that his nostrils were grunting, and his eyes were on fire.

The 200th Division, the vanguard of the expeditionary force, leaped thousands of miles, traveled for half a month, and arrived at Tonggu, an important town in southern Burma, on March 8.

No sooner had he taken over the city's defenses from the British than the bad news came that Rangoon had been lost.

The wound on his face had not yet completely healed, Du Yuming tore off the gauze and hurried to fight with the ancient deployment.

On March 19, the battle began on the outskirts of Tonggu. The 55th Division of the Army took advantage of the capture of Rangoon, and its arrogance was extremely high. The [***] team is showing its edge and playing beautifully. On the first day, 300 enemies were annihilated.

After that, the army increased rapidly to Tonggu. On March 21 and 22, the Japanese army dispatched 350 planes and destroyed all British air forces in Burma.

The Burmese sky was the first to fall.

With superior forces and absolute air supremacy, the army began to encircle Tonggu. The Chinese Expeditionary Force was blocked in reinforcements, and the 200th Division fought alone, suffering heavy casualties, and was forced to abandon the city and break through on March 30.

The Chinese Expeditionary Force came in a vast array of troops, but it was defeated in the first round.

In Myanmar in April, the red is scorching, the heat is fumigated, and the wolf smoke is billowing and the war is burning, and it is so hot that people can't breathe.

The black Chevrolet sedan that Du Yuming was riding in was mixed with the chaotic team and slowly retreated.

Along the way, the smoke and dust were filled, and the people and horses were noisy. Many people began to scold their mother.

In such a hot summer, it is disappointing to take a "snow does not come" car. The speed was very slow, stop-and-go, and the inside of the car was as hot as a steamer. Du Yuming took off his military hat and unbuttoned his shirt, still sweating profusely. Despite this, the windows were tightly closed, and the thick coffee-colored curtains were drawn. The deputy commander-in-chief would rather be stuffed in the car than see the chaos outside the window and hear the harsh scolding.

Du Yuming now needs to think calmly.

Sitting on the dimly lit back couch, he closed his eyes slightly, his thoughts surging.

Tonggu's defeat was like his car accident in Lashio, it came so suddenly, so terrifyingly, and it crushed one of the strongest combat divisions in his hands at once. But if you think about it, the setback in the first battle is inevitable and worth it. Due to the delay of the British, the Chinese expeditionary force sent troops too late, and the transportation was slow on the way, so they arrived in Tonggu and started an encounter with the enemy before gaining a firm foothold. With four times the strength of our troops and air supremacy, the army wants to eat the 200th Division in one bite. Three days after the bloody battle of the 200th Division, the tiger broke through and beat the Yue army to a roar, which was not easy. Although the 200th Division fought badly, they held on to Tonggu and won 10 days for the main force to assemble, which was beneficial to the overall situation.

Now it's good! The main force of the 5th Army in the center has completed its strategic buildup near Pingmanna; The 6th Army of the East Road has advanced to the line of Tangji and Luoyikao, and has formed a horn with the middle road; The 66th Army of the Strategic Reserve is also following suit. Before, Commander-in-Chief Chiang had telegraphed to the opportune time: "Just as Gu has completely fallen, it is planned to have a decisive battle near Pingmanna." ”

The best is yet to come. Let's have a big time in Pingmanna!

Du Yuming was confident, and a smile flashed across his square face full of scars.

"Chevrolet" was in a bump and continued in the direction of Pingmanna. The temperature is getting higher and higher, the car door is hot to the touch, and the outside of the car is dusty, but Du Yuming's mood is much calmer. Unhurriedly, he carefully planned every detail of the Battle of Pingmanna.

Like Tongku, Pingmanna is located on the central axis of Myanmar, the only railway line that runs through the whole of Myanmar from north to south, starting from Yangon at the southern end, and passing through Dongku, Pingmanna and Mandalay to Myitkyina in northern Myanmar. After the loss of Tonggu, Pingmanna became a strategic point to resist the northern invasion of the Yue army. According to the battle plan, the main force of the 5th Army gradually attracted the Yue army to the mountains near Pingmanna. After that, the 6th Army on the east route and the British army on the west route moved closer to the center, forming an encirclement posture, gathering and destroying the enemy's main force in one fell swoop, and then recovering Tonggu and even Yangon.

After deducing the entire battle process, Du Yuming was emotional, and his heart fluttered: the Battle of Pingmanna is nine out of ten, and he will definitely be able to fight a great annihilation battle that shocks China and foreign countries, not only surpassing the recent Battle of Kunlun Pass, but also the Battle of Shule of the Eastern Han Dynasty General Banchao's expedition to the Western Regions, and the Battle of Yongzhou in the Northern Song Dynasty Di Qing and the Western Xia. The establishment of the international reputation of the Chinese [***] team should be here!

After thinking about it, Du Yuming was the only one who was not very relieved about the British army. Since the Burma War, the performance of the British army has been worrying. In February, 7,000 British troops were captured in the area south of the Sitang River. In March, Rangoon was abandoned without a fight. After that, go all the way back. I don't know where they retreat to the end. The Battle of Pingmana counted on the British army to serve as a combat mission on the Western Front, is it reliable?

Be careful with the British! Du Yuming secretly warned himself.

In the bloody twilight, the dusty "snow does not come" car, dragged a tired body, and drove into the city of Pingmanna.

Commander-in-Chief Chiang, who was far away in Chongqing, watched the Burma battle all night. In addition to using radio to remotely control command, commanders were also dispatched to the front line one after another. When he first went abroad, Du Yuming took full responsibility and sent Stilwell to Lashio, and soon after, he sent Lin Wei to lead the Yunnan-Burma Staff Group of the Military Committee into Burma to help him. On the eve of the Battle of Pingmana, on April 11, Gao Fei, commander of the Fourth Theater of Operations, officially took office.

The Chinese Expeditionary Force is still three armies, but the command team has increased to four. Beds set up houses, and they hinder each other. Du Yuming complained about Chiang Kai-shek in his heart: Principal, who do you let students listen to!

Just when Du Yuming was complaining and in a dilemma, the Battle of Pingmanna began.

Liao Yaoxiang's new 22nd Division, according to the predetermined plan, resisted in the Sva River area one by one, fought and retreated, and gradually attracted the Yue army from the same Gubei to the vicinity of Pingmanna. The army found out that they had been deceived, and from April 17, they attacked the existing positions of the [***] team in Pingmanna, and the [***] team responded calmly and bravely killed the enemy. Under the city of Pingmanna, about 2 divisions of the Chinese army could not move under the interception of our 5th Army.

During this period, the troops led by Huang Xiang, the guerrilla commander of the expeditionary force, went deep behind enemy lines, smashed trains, blew up bridges, attacked airfields, and sabotaged the enemy's transportation lines.

The fish has taken the bait. Just wait for me to outflank me from the east and west, and the army won't be able to slip away!

In the city of Pingmanna, Du Yuming looked forward to the stars, the moon, and waited for the meeting of the armies. However, what did he wait for?

He first waited for the news of the defeat of the British army on the Western Road. Under the attack of the 33rd Division of the Chinese Army, tens of thousands of British soldiers had no fighting spirit and rushed to flee for their lives. First abandoned Prome, then threw down the Alan Temple, and even made a joke that 7,000 British troops in the Ringanqiang area were surrounded by more than 1,000 Japanese troops. Immediately afterwards, there was also news of the murder on the East Road. The 56th Division of the Chinese Army suddenly attacked from Moltke to the north. Our 6th Army threw in its troops one after another, and it was a drop in the bucket, and it could not resist the attack of the Japanese army. It is said that the army is connected with Tangji and Releem. On 19 April, the whereabouts of a division of the 6th Army in the Luo Yi Kao area were unknown, and the strength of an entire division of our army was suddenly "lost."

The tide of battle changed abruptly. The 5th Army, which attracted the army to Pingmanna, was instead in danger of being surrounded by the enemy on three sides. It's easy to please God, but it's hard to send God!

In the face of the crisis, Stilwell, Luo Zhuoying, Lin Wei and Du Yuming exchanged letters and telegrams, and after some consultation and quarrel, they finally decided:

Abandon the Battle of Pinmana.

At 10 o'clock in the evening of April 18, Du Yuming issued an order to the 5th Army to break out.

This is the second breakout order he issued after the Burma war. There was only a 19-day gap between the 200th Division's order to abandon Tonggu.

The battle in Burma was like amputation after amputation, and every time a battle was organized, it took a big step back.

After abandoning the Battle of Pimphana, Chiang Kai-shek ordered the expeditionary force to immediately organize the Battle of Mandalay.

Mandalay, also known as Wa City, is the former capital of Myanmar. When the Ava Dynasty of Myanmar was established more than 400 years ago, Mr. Feng Shui took a fancy to Mandalay and set the capital here. To this day, the city still retains the magnificent imperial city, whose scale and architectural style can be comparable to the Forbidden City of China. Mandalay is located in the middle of Myanmar, and the railway from Myitkyina to Yangon is exactly halfway through to Mandalay. The Irrawaddy River, Myanmar's largest river, flows outside the city. Throughout the ages, Mandalay has been a place of military use.

The Chinese Expeditionary Force put the last bet on the Battle of Mandalay. In addition to the 5th and 6th armies, the 66th Army, which served as a reserve, also drove over.

In addition, there was the British 1st Division and the 7th Armored Brigade.

No matter how the Chinese Expeditionary Force wants to win this battle, it must not retreat. If you return it again, you should return to Wanmachi. And what is it like to return to Wanmachi? When I thought about the first time I sent out the army, the common people of western Yunnan beat gongs and drums, and happily sent off the expeditionary team. There is also a huge portrait of Commander-in-Chief Chiang at the head of the Wan Town Bridge, "drive out the Japanese and recover Burma", the words are still in the ears, and the result is to lose the armor, the city and the land, how to recover his life? During the Three Kingdoms period, Zhuge Liang captured Meng Shu seven times in this area, and his achievements were famous all over the world.

Fighting against the water, desperate to survive.

On the morning of April 26, Du Yuming led his deputy headquarters into Mandalay.

The command post was set up in the barracks of the imperial city, and Du Yuming inspected the position everywhere. Although Deputy Commander Du was not as ambitious at this time as at the beginning of the Battle of Pingmanna, he was on a par with the ancients Ban Chao and Di Qing; However, he believes that there is still work to be done in the battle for Burma. With so many troops and such a strong city defense, it may be possible to turn things around.

Returning to the command post and drinking a cold canned beer just sent by the British general, Du Yuming was full of energy and dictated the message:

Limited to 2 hours. Chairman Jiang: After the battle of Wacheng has been completed, it is decided to live and die with the city. Du Yuming knocked.

However, the situation in Myanmar, like the weather here, is unpredictable and ever-changing. Du Yuming had just made up his mind to fight to the death, and the expeditionary force lost the east route again. After capturing Tangji and Releem, the 56th Division of the Japanese Army attacked all the way north. Our 6th Army panicked, collapsed, and was defeated back to Xishuangbanna in China. On April 28, the army captured Lashio, an important town in northern Myanmar. Located northeast of Mandalay, Lashio is an important hub of the Yunnan-Burma Road and a choke point from Mandalay to Wan Town. Lashio fell, like Ma Tan lost the street pavilion, ruining the overall situation. The main force of the expeditionary force assembled in Mandalay suddenly became a melon with a broken vine and a grape with a pruned branch, and was in a desperate situation.

The British army is a team ready to retreat at any time, and when the situation is not good, they will run away. On the night of 30 April, they withdrew from Mandalay and fled in the direction of India.

The Battle of Mandalay came to naught. The last hope of the Burma war was dashed.

Du Yuming had no choice but to give his troops an order to break through from Mandalay on May 1.

This is the third breakout order he issued on the battlefield in Burma. It is only 13 days away from the breakout of Pingmanna.

In May, it was the beginning of the rainy season in Myanmar, and the sky was full of dark clouds and rain, adding to the bleak and desolate atmosphere.

With the bankruptcy of the Battle of Mandalay, the Chinese Expeditionary Force was in an extremely critical situation. Due to the fall of Lashio, it was no longer possible for the Chinese [***] team to withdraw to China along the Yunnan-Burma Highway. On May 7, Chiang Kai-shek crossed Stilwell and Luo Zhuoying and directly ordered Du Yuming:

"Move to Myitkyina and Pianma, don't hesitate to pause."

Du Yuming received the order, did not dare to stay for a moment, and commanded his two divisions, the 5th Army and the 66th Army, to quickly retreat along the railway. It is planned to seize Myitkyina, a key point in northern Myanmar, and then return home.

Now, the officers and men of the expedition no longer have the high fighting spirit of "those who follow me will prosper, and those who oppose me will die" when they first set out on the expedition; There is no high-pitched war song with a vibrating voice and a long rainbow. There is only one thought left in everyone's mind: retreat, retreat, retreat!

No one expected that Myanmar was a big quagmire, and as long as you stepped on your feet, you would never want to get out.

From Mandalay to the north, you have begun to enter the mountain jungle, with the exception of the Miwa Railway and an improvised road, with only a few mountain trails that can be connected to ox carts. The road is lined with mountains and wild jungles. At this time, Myanmar is in a mess. The army is retreating, and the people are fleeing. The mountains are full of panicked refugees, and the road is jammed.

The mechanized troops of the expeditionary force are inseparable from the roads. There was not much hope for the railway. The Burma Railway was in the hands of the British, and they had to flee for their lives. Even if the wagons are grabbed, the railways are extremely unsafe. The Burmese annihilated everywhere sabotage, bombed bridges, dug railroad tracks, and moved turnouts. A train carrying a baggage regiment directly under the expeditionary force ran less than 5 kilometers from the station, and was subverted by Burmese annihilation, killing and wounding more than 300 people.

On the highway, it is overcrowded with people and cars. Myanmar is the kingdom of ox carts. Even the poorest farmers have ox carts. The family fled with their mouths, and the people were inseparable from ox carts. The route is crammed with squeaky and slowly swallowing ox carts.

Myanmar also has a particularly large number of cars. I don't know how many cars have been attracted by a Yunnan-Burma highway, including a large convoy of the Kuomintang's Southwest Transportation Department, and private cars smuggled and resold by adventurers!

(To be continued)