The situation in Burma did not change much because of Li Guang's appearance.

In mid-February, at the request of the British, the Chinese army entered Burma to participate in the war, dispatching three armies and nine divisions with a total of 100,000 Chinese troops. Among them, the Fifth Army led by General Du Yuming is the only mechanized army of the Chinese army, which can be called the most elite unit of the Chinese army.

In mid-to-late March, the 200th Division of the Fifth Army, under the leadership of General Dai Anlan, fought the Japanese army in a 12-day battle to the death in Tonggu, inflicting heavy losses on the 55th Division of the Japanese Army. At that time, the Burma battlefield was divided into three fronts, with the Chinese army in charge of the eastern and central fronts, and the British army in charge of the western front. However, the British troops on the Western Front did not retreat, causing the 200th Division to leak on the flank and had to retreat.

In mid-April, the British army was trapped in Ren'anqiang on the Western Front, and the famous general Sun Liren led the new 38th Division to relieve the siege and rescue 7,000 British troops. The flanks of the Chinese army also leaked again, and the carefully prepared Battle of Pingmanna was aborted again.

On 30 April, the Eastern Front, which was led by the Chinese Army, was successively broken through by the Japanese army. Lashio, which was heavily defended, was unexpectedly attacked by the Japanese army. The rear road of the Chinese army was cut off, the morale of the army was weakened, and the general trend had gone.

Su Qing brought more than 2,500 naval resistance fighters and stationed them in Myitkyina. Although it was appropriate to get Li Guang's face-to-face instruction beforehand. However, Li Guang did not know from which road the Japanese army attacked Myitkyina, nor did he know from which way the Chinese army retreated to Myitkyina.

The terrain of Myitkyina is complex, and even with detailed maps, it is difficult to determine the route of the Japanese attack and the retreat route of the Chinese army. Su Qing studied for a long time, and then finally made a decision--- more than 2,000 troops must be divided into three places.

Myitkyina is located in the northwest of Myanmar, 1,200 kilometers from Yangon. It is located on the west bank of the Irrawaddy River. The Irrawaddy River is the main river in Myanmar and flows from north to south.

If you attack Myitkyina from the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, there is a bridge that the Japanese army must pass. Originally, blowing up the bridge was the easiest and most labor-saving method, but if the Chinese army retreated along the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, the bridge would also be a retreat for the Chinese army. Therefore, it cannot be fried. Su Qing had no choice but to arrange the only elite field company to be deployed here.

Myitkyina's airport is located in the south of the city, and a choke point to the south is nearly 30 kilometers from Myitkyina. Therefore, Su Qing arranged two elite mountain companies to defend here.

The most occupied force is not the bridge or the pass at the southern end, but the Irrawaddy River, which is dozens of kilometers north and south. Myanmar has just entered the rainy season in May, but the climate gap between the north and south of Myanmar is huge, in the mountainous areas of northern Myanmar, similar to the climate in Guizhou, Yunnan, China, the rainfall at this time is not large, and the upper reaches of the Irrawaddy River are not abundant. There are many places where you can wade through the water.

To defend this forty-kilometer-long river, Su Qing's troops were simply not enough. As a last resort, Su Qing had no choice but to divide the jungle battalion into two companies and scatter them on the east side of the Irrawaddy River, preparing to fight with small troops to delay the Japanese attack.

In Myitkyina. Su Qing left four infantry companies, an armored company and a mixed artillery company as the main force of the attack. Anti-aircraft artillery companies and fighter squads held the airfield.

On 7 May, the jungle company sent by Su Qing was the first to engage in battle with the vanguard of the Japanese army. Figured out that the devil was attacking from the east. But the retreating forces of the Chinese army were still uncontactable. Later, I learned that the main force of the Fifth Army led by Du Yuming, the radio station was flooded and could not be used.

In this day's battle, although the jungle company was inferior to the Japanese army, it had a great advantage in the battle loss ratio. Professionally trained jungle troops. Fighting in the mountains and forests of Burma, it has a great advantage. In jungle warfare, the submachine guns of the Naval Resistance Army have obvious advantages over the 38 rifles of the Japanese army, and the Motorola walkie-talkies equipped to the squad and platoon level have even more obvious advantages in jungle operations. The advantage is not only in terms of weapons and equipment, but also in the jungle company, which regards the jungle as home, and the soldiers of the jungle company walk through the forest and the river as if they were taking a leisurely walk. The Japanese killed more than 200 people during the day. And the casualties of the soldiers of the jungle company did not exceed fifty.

Although the jungle company was active in combat, after all, its troops were insufficient and could not stop the pace of the Japanese attack. The vanguard of the Japanese army was a search wing, plus a tank squadron, a rapid-fire artillery squadron, and a field artillery squadron, totaling nearly two thousand people.

Moreover, in the Japanese army, the search wing is considered an elite unit, and its combat effectiveness is not weak. It was this search wing that defeated a division of the Chinese army head-on and occupied Lashio. It can be sent out by the Japanese army and travel hundreds of kilometers to cut off the retreat of tens of thousands of the main forces of the Chinese army, and the combat effectiveness can be imagined. The Japanese sent two or three squadrons of infantry to entangle the two jungle companies, and the main force still forcibly interspersed and went straight to the Irrawaddy River.

On the night of 7 May, the main force of the Japanese vanguard reached the east bank of the Irrawaddy River. The devil did not attack the bridge of the Naval Resistance Army, but chose a shallow section of the river and forcibly crossed the Irrawaddy River.

After a night of hard fighting, a mountain company of the Maritime Resistance Army suffered all casualties, and finally carried it until early morning. After the reinforcements arrived, a fierce battle lasted for two hours before the Japanese attack was repulsed.

On 8 May, the vanguard of the Japanese army continued its feint. The two jungle companies located in the rear of the Japanese army were chased and intercepted by a follow-up infantry brigade of the Japanese army, with more than 1,000 people, and fell into a bitter battle.

May 9. A Japanese infantry wing, plus a search wing, and attached armor, artillery, engineers, and baggage units, totaling 6,000 men, began to force their way across the Irrawaddy River in two routes.

At this time, Du Yuming's troops were still 80 kilometers away from Myitkyina. The roads in Myanmar are rough, coupled with rain, and the roads are muddy. It takes two days to arrive.

On the night of 9 May, the Japanese army dispatched 12 Type 97 tanks and 12 Type 95 light tanks to force their way across the Irrawaddy River in a remote place under the cover of artillery fire.

When the armored troops and anti-aircraft artillery units of the Maritime Resistance Army arrived, a fierce battle broke out between the two sides. In this battle, all six tanks of the Naval Resistance Army were destroyed. The armored company suffered heavy losses. After losing a company of troops, the Naval Resistance Army finally withstood the Japanese attack.

However, this was only one Japanese attack force, and the other route was the main force of the Japanese search wing, and the Irrawaddy River was successfully forced.

In the early morning of 10 May, after blowing up the bridge over the Irrawaddy River, Su Qing's entire army retreated to Myitkyina. And Du Yuming's troops had not yet reached the positions set up by the Naval Resistance Army at the southern pass. That is, still thirty kilometers away.

On 10 May, a squad of fighters of the Naval Resistance Army took off in the rain and joined the battle. The Japanese army also dispatched a large number of fighters, and the air battle was fierce. In the battle of the day. The mixed artillery batteries of the Naval Resistance Army played a great role. Under the city of Myitkyina, the Japanese army attacked more than 6,000 people like a wave, and failed to expand a single step in a day and a night.

Early in the morning on May 11. A regiment of Du Yuming's vanguard of the Fifth Army rushed to Myitkyina. Myitkyina's defenses were strengthened. During the day, both sides attacked or defended desperately. Fortunately, the naval resistance army had sufficient firepower, and there were much more artillery shells than the Japanese army, and even then almost all the shells were exhausted, which was able to withstand the Japanese attack. If there is an advantage on this day, it is only reflected in the firepower. The forces are still stretched thin.

On the night of 11 May, the Japanese army had already broken into the city several times. Street fighting took place in many parts of Myitkyina.

May 12th. Du Yuming's Fifth Army, a whole division arrived. The Chinese army launched a counteroffensive. The Japanese were forced to retreat.

On 13 May, the main Japanese forces withdrew to the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, leaving the search wing behind. It was completely annihilated by Su Qing and the new 22nd Division of the Chinese Army on the bank of the Irrawaddy River.

With the arrival of all the main forces of the Chinese army, the strength of a division of the Japanese army and a division of the Chinese army began to confront each other across the bank. Both sides need to recuperate. The battlefield may be quiet for a few days.

This is the battle report sent back by Su Qing.

Although Su Qing's report is simple, it is like a running account. But Li Guang can see the hardships between the lines.

After this battle. The reputation of the Naval Resistance Army began to spread within the Chinese army. The two battalions wiped out more than 2,500 Japanese troops, nearly half of whom were the most elite search wings of the Japanese army. Moreover, it also kept the back road of the elite of the Chinese army, and this kind of combat exploits are indeed dazzling enough.

In the Japanese army, the reputation of the naval resistance army was mainly reflected in the navy, but after this war, the Japanese army also began to pay attention to the naval resistance army. According to the summary of the commander of the Japanese army in this battle, Hirai Daisa. The firepower of the Naval Resistance Force is extremely powerful. The high density of artillery fire frightened all the Japanese officers and soldiers who participated in the battle. What frightened the Japanese army even more was the level of individual weapon use that the Japanese army was proud of in jungle warfare. was completely defeated by this small naval resistance army.

Later, because Su Qing turned out to be related to the chairman of the committee. Su Qing's reputation is even more widespread.

Within ten days, the chairman's reward came down. Su Qing turned out to be a major general of the Chinese army.

And behind the victory, the Naval Resistance Army also suffered heavy losses. The 2,000-strong mountain and jungle battalions suffered sixty percent casualties, of which more than 600 were killed. While Li Guang was pleased that the army of the Naval Resistance Army had gradually matured and its combat effectiveness could already confront the elite of the Japanese army, he also sighed. The losses in this battle were so heavy that only 1,000 of them remained on the battlefield after the war, of 2,500 people.

Of the twelve fighters, only four remain. All tanks in the tank company were scrapped.

Just looking at these figures, Li Guang could imagine how hard Su Qing's battle was.

The blood of the warriors of the Naval Resistance Army was not shed in vain, and the only mechanized army of the Chinese army not only retained the main strength, but also most of the heavy equipment.

Among them is one of the most powerful artillery regiments of the Chinese army, twelve 150 German-made howitzers.

Howitzers like this are crucial for the Chinese army. THE NAVY RESISTANCE ARMY ONCE SENT SEVERAL 150MM HOWITZERS TO CHINA, BUT THEY WERE NOT AS ADVANCED AS THE GERMAN-MADE 150 HOWITZERS. The navy's naval guns are generally large, but for the army, 150mm howitzers or cannons are strategic weapons.

IN THE ENTIRE HISTORY OF THE WAR OF RESISTANCE AGAINST JAPAN, THE CHINESE ARMY RECEIVED ONLY A TOTAL OF 36 155MM HOWITZERS FROM THE UNITED STATES.

Li Guang once wondered that he had purchased a lot of weapons and ammunition for the Chinese army, but the Chinese army's war against Japan seemed to be similar to that in history, as if the weapons and ammunition provided by Li Guang did not play a role.

However, the real situation is that the Japanese army's weapons and equipment are much stronger now than in the past 42 years in history. The most prominent manifestation is that the Japanese army is equipped with a large number of Type 97 tanks and 97 modified tanks.

Because of Li Guang's existence, the Chinese army's anti-tank guns and anti-tank guns were equipped in large quantities, and the devils had abandoned the bean-type tanks weighing three or four tons. The current Devil light tank is a Type 95 light tank weighing 7 tons, while the main tank is a 167-ton Type 97 or 97 modified tank. And the frontal armor of this tank is no longer twenty-five millimeters, but fifty millimeters, as it was historically.

Such a thickness has made the anti-tank gun provided by Li Guang useless, and it is difficult to penetrate even if the anti-tank gun (before World War II) is a little farther away.

The world has changed too much. Historically, the Japanese army did not have much development of tanks because it did not meet opponents before the Pacific War, as well as at the beginning of the Pacific War.

Even the most advanced Type 97 tank of the Japanese army is an iron coffin with thin skin and big stuffing compared to the US army. However, due to the extensive use of anti-tank guns and anti-tank guns by the Chinese army, the Japanese tanks were also improving. Although there has not yet been a qualitative improvement, the protection of this tank has reached a fairly high level.

No matter what changes, the more heavily armed the Japanese army is, the greater the consumption of resources, and the faster Japan's economy will collapse.

After learning more about the Japanese army's equipment, Li Guang paid more attention to the direction of the use of submarines, that is, to devote the submarines to the operation of logistics supply to the Japanese army. (To be continued......)