readx; The 200th and 96th Divisions of the 5th Army had withdrawn to Yunnan, and the Yucheng Military and Political Department gathered the situation of the defeated troops of the whole army, and informed the army commander Du Yuming of the bad news of the army, listing the following series of tragic figures:

Shocking! I can't bear to read it!

The attrition in retreat was actually twice as high as in combat. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 infoDu Yuming has fought all his life, won battles, and fought many defeats, but he has never been defeated so badly and so heartwarming.

According to the statistics of the Ministry of Military Affairs, during the retreat, more than 30,000 people from the three armies of the Chinese Expeditionary Force starved to death and died of disease in the jungles of northern Burma. Fewer than 50,000 people returned home alive and evacuated to India.

Savage Mountain is even more cruel and ruthless than 100,000 soldiers!

In the Indian town of Ledo, in the face of a group of remnants of the defeated generals, Du Yuming thought about the past and sighed.

At the beginning of the year, he was ordered to lead 100,000 elite soldiers to go abroad and enter Burma. Now, after losing Burma, abandoning the Yunnan-Burma Road, losing troops and losing generals, he was defeated and fled. As a result, there was no way to return to the country, and he was defeated and walked into the Savage Mountain, cramped to a foreign country, and ridiculed by outsiders. More than half of the 100,000 troops suffered casualties, how many hungry ghosts were there? Artillery and combat vehicles were completely lost, and a large number of strategic assets were reduced to nothing. The loss of teachers and humiliation of the country is an unforgivable crime.

The surviving officers and soldiers rested on the spot in Ledo, bandaged wounds, treated diseases, replenished nutrition, and regained physical strength. A few days have passed.

What happens next? What's next?

Every officer and soldier had a heavy question mark on their hearts.

India is by no means a place to stay for long, and the British do not eat and drink for a long time.

Go home! This is everyone's dream wish. In the savage mountains, when I was hungry, I remembered the hot rice brought by my mother; When I am thirsty, I think of the well water in my hometown; When it's cold, I think of my own hot kang. I'm going crazy homesick. To get out of Savage Mountain alive is to go home! Now I can go back, but everyone is afraid to go home. How to get back? After such a big defeat, it is notorious, how can you see Jiangdong's fathers? In the savage mountains, how many officers and soldiers have not collected their bones and revenge, and we who are alive can leave them alone?

Fight back from the Savage Mountain and avenge the death of your brother! This is the common aspiration of all officers and men. If someone were to raise his arms and shout at the top of Ledo's mountain, hundreds or even thousands of officers and soldiers would immediately follow him and reflexively kill him into the savage mountain. But what will be the consequences? With more than 3,000 remnants and more than 2,000 guns that don't go off, can you break through Savage Mountain? Can you defeat the soldiers? What the Chinese officers and soldiers lack now is not determination, but strength.

Some of the wounded soldiers beat their crippled legs and asked themselves: What should I do?

Some tapped the dirt with bamboo canes and asked the earth: What should I do?

Some of them held up the rusty guns and asked the sky: What should I do?

In early August, an order came from Yucheng: the remnants of the new 22nd Division and the new 38th Division remained in India to receive American-style equipment, were rigorously trained, and expanded into the Chinese Army in India, under the command of General Stilwell, waiting for an opportunity to counterattack Burma; Du Yuming led the military headquarters of the 5th Army to return to China.

The order to stay in India, expand and reorganize training, and prepare for a counteroffensive gave great encouragement to the Chinese officers and men. At the same time, it brought new pain to the army commander Du Yuming. Stilwell finally took away the military power from him, which was not where his pain was, but the most painful thing was that he was deprived of his last chance to fight back to Burma from the Savage Mountains and take revenge. Like other officers and soldiers, he swore an oath and gambled a curse to avenge this bloody revenge and use it to wash away the shame of today's defeat with the artillery fire of victory. Now, he can't. Du Yuming, a defeated general's name will always remain in the land of Myanmar.

Du Yuming's mood dropped to the lowest point.

However, after all, he was a long-term and far-sighted general, and he thought that the defeat in Burma was not a shame for Du Yuming alone, but a shame for a country and a nation. As long as one day in the future, the Chinese officers and soldiers will return to Burma, eliminate the devils, and avenge the great enmity of the country and the nation, and my Du Yuming's revenge will also be avenged, and the hatred will also disappear.

Du Yuming called the division commander Liao Yaoxiang, and the army commander untied the Browning pistol on his waist, held it in both hands and handed it to the division commander Liao, and said solemnly: "Train the troops well, fight the war well, counterattack Burma, and take revenge." Please. ”

Liao Yaoxiang took the pistol presented by the army commander, and also took over the burden of thousands of catties entrusted by the army commander. ”

Thinking of the countless officers and soldiers who were sleeping in Savage Mountain, Du Yuming felt heavy. Before leaving India, he set up a mourning hall in Ledo, offered flowers and fruits, and said goodbye to the dead of officers and soldiers with tears. Du Yuming personally officiated at the sacrifice, and the sacrificial speech said:

It hurts! The martyrs of my expeditionary force are also agitated, and they were ordered to go on an expedition, farewell to their parents, abandon their wives and children, and hold a longbow to shoot wolves. In March, he went to Myanmar and went deep into the barren. With Kou Chuzhan in the same ancient times, the first to build a miracle, for the world's attention. In the second battle of the Swa, Pingmanna, and Tonggu, all the officers and soldiers hated the enemy, fought bravely, and killed countless enemies. The Burmese war was in full swing, but the tide of the war was reversed, and the officers and men of our expedition turned into the jungle and found themselves in a desperate situation. The martyrs also overcame thorns and thorns, basked with wind and rain, bitter and bitter, without clothing, without food, gnats attacked, miasma invaded, diseases were epidemic, and people were miserable. Pity my Chinese athletes, the corpses are reckless, and the blood is sprinkled on the top of the peaks. Die before leaving the school, and the ambition is unrewarded.

Sad husband, soul and loyal bones, eternal and bright moon.

Zite set up a sacrifice in the wind and talked about the heart.

Inside and outside the mourning hall, solemn and solemn. Thousands of soldiers stood with their hands down.

The ceremony is over. Du Yuming waved goodbye to the officers and men who were about to move their defenses. I saw that thousands of survivors lined up to clean up, their eyes burning, forcibly suppressing their grief, and rubbing their hands.

It's a cold copper wall. It's a silent volcano.

Du Yuming's thoughts are rolling, his passion is irrepressible, and a thousand words are turned into one sentence:

"Brothers officers and soldiers, I'm sorry for you, and even more sorry for the officers and soldiers who died. I'm leaving. The battle in Burma, please. The remains of the dead officers and soldiers in the Savage Mountain are entrusted to you. I'm waiting for your news at home. ”

The officers and soldiers in the audience shouted with their arms:

Counterattack on Burma! Settle an old score!

Like a thunderbolt on a sunny day; Like an angry sea.

Savage Mountain, do you hear me? The Chinese Expeditionary Force is still going to fight back!

Oriental soldiers, do you hear me? The battle for Burma is not over yet!

On that day in late April, after Liao Yaoxiang and Sun Liren received the order to attack Gamai and Meng Gong from Stilwell, Stilwell called Brigadier General Meryl again, and the two American generals had the following conversation:

Stilwell: "How long have your 'looters' been fighting in northern Burma?" ”

Meryl: "75 days. ”

Stilwell: "So the three-month contract is about to expire?" ”

Meryl: "Yes, the contract expires on May 7. ”

Stilwell: "War, though, will change everything, including contracts for combat. ”

Meriel: "I don't understand what the general means. ”

Stilwell: "That is, the period of operation of the 'Marauders' troops may be extended. ”

Meryl: "Why? ”

Stilwell: "Because the war requires it." ”

Merll: "But they're here for the contract, not for the war. ”

Stilwell: "But don't forget, our contract was for war. ”

Meryl: "So, what do you want them to do?" ”

Stilwell: "That's the right question, it's long overdue. Please come and look at the map, at present, there are three large strongholds of the army in northern Myanmar, Gamai, Mon Gong, and Myitkyina. We must take these three strongholds before the rainy season in June. Gamai and Meng Gong, there are already two Chinese troops going to take it separately. Myitkyina remains. Myitkyina could not wait for them. So, I'm going to give the 'looters' a chance, a good chance. The capture of Myitkyina airfield will create conditions for subsequent airborne troops to enter the urban area for operations. ”

Meril: "It's like they're going to spend a lot more time in the jungle of Myanmar than they have a contract, so what's the special reward for doing that?" ”

Stilwell: "Yes. The U.S. Army's war history will write a pen on them to prove that they were worthy of the trip. ”

Meril: "It's about amending the contract, and you have to discuss it with the parties. ”

Stilwell: "There's no need for that. Your Excellency, what you have to do now is to think carefully about what support you need to provide to take the Myitkyina airport, and ask me now. Don't wait for a problem to come back to me, that's not good! ”

Meryl: "So, let me think"

Stilwell: ""

Merrill walked to the window, took a few puffs of his cigarette, then turned to Stilwell and said, "General, I have thought about it." In order to achieve the operational objectives you have just proposed: First, the matter of postponing the term of the contract must be negotiated between the general and the parties concerned. Secondly, the 'looter' forces must be reinforced and supported by the [***] squadron. Third, send the Savage Rangers to cooperate with the operation. Fourthly, and most importantly, the mission of the 'looter' commando team is limited to taking the airport, and once the airport is occupied, the follow-up troops will arrive by air, and the commando team will be withdrawn. They will never take part in urban combat. ”

Stilwell: "Your request was granted, Brigadier General. Now is the time for me to make a request to you. You have to take the airport in mid-May. After a pause, Stilwell emphasized: "This combat operation must be absolutely secret, to achieve the greatest suddenness." I'm not just talking about myself, I'm talking about the same people in the UK. It was a surprise to him, and a surprise to the British. Do you understand? ”

Meryl: "Understood. ”

Stilwell: "Okay. The operation was codenamed 'King Cobra'. Let's do it! ”

Operation "King Cobra" was General Stilwell's biggest adventure in the operation in northern Burma. At the beginning, some people strongly opposed this plan, believing that the simultaneous operation of the three major strategic points of Gamai, Mong Gong, and Myitkyina with limited forces violated the principle of the art of war that "only one strategic objective should be pursued in each battle." Stilwell disagreed, saying:

"We are not lying on the books of war, but fighting in the jungles of Burma. The war book doesn't say that you can attack several strategic targets at a time, so let's just add them! ”

Stilwell is not a utopian, but a down-to-earth tactician par excellence. He was convinced that he was capable of adding this to the book of war.

He has in his hands the U.S. 10th Air Force, which is based in India. It is possible for him to organize hundreds of transport planes and airlift an entire regiment of troops on a single voyage to achieve large-scale, long-distance mobile operations. In Unit X, in addition to the troops of the new 22nd Division and the new 38th Division, the newly transferred New 30th Division, the New 50th Division, and the 14th Division have also arrived in the northern Burma battlefield one after another.

Besides, Stilwell has a secret weapon in his hand that he has never been willing to use. This is, the special assault unit nicknamed "The Marauters" commanded by Meriel.

The "Marauders" commando was a gift from General Marshall to Stilwell in support of the Burma war.

Originally, they had an official name called "U.S. Army 5307 Provisional Regiment". Still, the soldiers didn't like the name, saying it sounded "like a communications office on the streets of Los Angeles." It is also code-named "Galahad Force". And the soldiers still liked the nickname "looter" given to them by the war zone reporters, believing that it was "more in line with their tempers".

The Marauders commando has three battalions, each with 1,000 men, drawn from various units in the western Pacific islands and the Caribbean, and veterans of jungle warfare. The main combat mission of the "Marauders" commando is to carry out long-range sneak attacks in the jungle.

The leader, the captain, Brigadier General Meryl, was one of the few American [***] officers that General Stilwell could trust. It is said that because of astigmatism in his eyes, he applied for the exam six times before he was admitted to West Point. He was tall and fat, suffering from severe heart disease, and had a pair of glasses on his tanned red nose. Although, his body resembles a bear, he is not stupid at all to move in the jungle. What's more, as a general, he was proficient in jungle tactics.

In addition to trusting in its combat capability and experience in jungle warfare, Stilwell's trust in the "Marauders" commando team did not rule out the following psychological factors: The "Marauders" commando was the only US ground unit to participate in the Burma battlefield and was General Stilwell's son. Stilwell is unlikely to forget that when he went to Burma in 1942 to command the Chinese Expeditionary Force, the British ridiculed him and said that if the Americans really cared about fighting in Burma, they should send an army, not a bare-bones commander. Now, it's time for Americans to show their hands!

The task force for the King Cobra mission was quickly formed, and its combat force consisted of three battalions of the "Marauders" commando, two regiments of the [***] team, and a Savage Rangers of about 300 men. Under the command of Brigadier General Meryl, the task force was divided into three combat teams, K, H, and M, under the command of Colonel Kinnison, Colonel Hunt, and Colonel Markey, respectively.

The already unpredictable and multi-faceted battlefield in northern Myanmar is now emerging again, what kind of miracle will they create?

In late April, the task force secretly departed from Meng Pass. On this day, the rain was pouring down, the jungle was white, the ground was up to the knees, and the lightning and thunder were thundering overhead. The commanders deliberately chose such a day to send troops, as if to warn the soldiers that they would have a good time along the way.

From Mong Pass to Myitkyina, on the map, the distance is at most 100 kilometers. However, Myitkyina is on the banks of the Irrawaddy River, separated from Mongguan by two mountains and a river valley. Out of Mengguan, over the 4,000-meter-high Jianbuban Mountain, into the Menggong River Valley, after the Menggong River Valley, you have to climb over the more precipitous Kuman Mountains to enter the Irrawaddy River Basin. Along the way, there are not only high mountains and deep ravines and thorny jungles, but also more than a dozen rivers and countless lakes and marshes. Especially the Kumanshan Mountain, just by listening to the name, you know that it is a chaotic and unopened wild world, and it is not a good place. The soldiers of the task force have been instructed that in order to guarantee the absolute secrecy of the operation, they will not be able to receive airdrops on the way. For this purpose, the soldiers were ordered to bring half a month's worth of dry rations and essential medicines.

Carrying a heavy backpack full of delicately packaged biscuits and chocolates, the members of the Savage Rangers and the Chinese soldiers who had just entered the battlefield in northern Burma were quite happy, they had never received so much good food. The American "looters", on the other hand, had a cold, disgusted expression, and they had already weighed the weight of their backpacks to gauge the difficulty of the operation.

Led by U.S. military intelligence officer William. The Savage Rangers, led by Captain Raffin, had already left Mengguan ahead of the main force. They act as guides in front, clearing paths, gathering intelligence, and annihilating small groups of enemy forces, like the sensitive and powerful snake hyacinth of the "King Cobra".

Walking in the jungle, the members of the Savage Rangers may not be much different from other savages. They are also naked[***], with various patterns tattooed all over their bodies, and their mouths are constantly chewing red betel nuts. But, fundamentally, they are no longer completely ignorant savages. Prior to this, in a secret school run by the US military intelligence service, they had been trained into a well-trained army for the first time in their lives.

Originally, the common people of Myanmar, of course, including the Kachin savages in the savage mountains, still had hope for him. They had been oppressed by the British for too long. The British not only transported away the rice, teak, and precious stones from Burma, but also desecrated the silver women. Therefore, when the white horse general Bomojo raised his arms and shouted, "Drive out the British, let Burma read the power", the young men and women of Burma threw down their hoes, picked up swords and guns, and joined the reading power volunteers.

However, after welcoming Yue himself, the people of Myanmar discovered that the Oriental devils were actually worse than the Western devils.

In the savage mountains, the army repaired barracks, built strongholds, opened roads, pulled people's husbands, robbed women, and did all kinds of evil. The savages compared the Yue army with the Chinese officers and soldiers who had retreated from the Savage Mountain some time ago, and found that the Chinese were much more disciplined than the Yu himself. They thought that if they did not drive their army away, it would be disadvantageous to the mountain.

So when an American intelligence agent came forward and said, "Come on! Help the Chinese defeat Yuben! Immediately, hundreds of savages responded and entered the US military intelligence school.

In the spring of 1943, when the U.S. military instructors were in the Lamgara jungle and used the most primitive methods to force the squadron to live a barbaric life of drinking blood, in another forest in the western part of India, the U.S. military intelligence officers were using modern means to conduct strict civilized training on a group of savages!

(To be continued)