Chapter 1135: Bloodstained Meng Mi (Middle)

The Battle of Banmao ended on the evening of July 4, with the strength of three field infantry brigades, two tank brigades, brigade heavy artillery regiments, and three Thunder rocket artillery battalions, with the strength of three field infantry brigades, two tank brigades, brigade heavy artillery regiments, and three Thunder rocket artillery battalions, completely annihilating the Japanese army's northward vanguard Nomura Toshihiko Division, two infantry divisions, one tank brigade, and one cavalry wing, totaling more than 40,000 troops, and the Sulu Mobile Corps suffered more than 3,000 casualties, including more than 1,000 soldiers killed.

After the battle, Lieutenant General Tang Qiusheng, deputy commander of the Independent Division and commander of the Sulu Mobile Corps, sent a detailed report on the battle situation to the division commander, "Division commander, at about 7 o'clock in the evening of July 4, our division ended the Banmao Campaign, except for more than 1,000 remnants of the Japanese army, who fled into the mountains, and completely annihilated the remaining Japanese troops in the division. ”

Tang Qiusheng didn't say much, he knew very well that he was fighting very smoothly, but on the Wubin line on the southern front, blocking and flanking the troops, it would be very hard, he ordered the troops who had cleaned up the battlefield to immediately replenish ammunition, transfer the wounded to the Myitkyina field hospital, and the troops were ready to immediately go south, and all the military strength of the independent division in northern Burma was used, and it was impossible for his three brigades to stay out of the matter.

In the early morning of 5 July, Tang Qiusheng received a telegram from division commander Tang Qiuli, "Brother Qiusheng, immediately lead the troops south, rush to the front line of Wubin, coordinate and command the troops on the front line of Wubin and Baodwin mining areas, and block the northward advance of the main Japanese army of Ito. ”

"Therefore, it is imperative to block the main force of the Japanese army, march north to rescue the remnants of the Japanese army in Degang, and relieve the threat of our southern front, and it is also a last resort, in addition, I have transferred three infantry brigades and one tank brigade from the troops attacking Degang, and they are all assigned to the blocking force, according to Chang Feng and Yu Guanghan's battle situation report last night, the situation in Wubin is not optimistic, and the blocking force is under tremendous pressure, and the troops of the Sulu Mobile Corps rush to the front line in Wubin as quickly as possible."

After fighting with the Japanese for so many years, Tang Qiuli felt for the first time that he had fallen into such a passive situation, even if he wanted to withdraw his troops from Degang, he couldn't do it now, not to mention the remaining Japanese soldiers, even the more than a thousand soldiers who were surrounded in the canyon, he couldn't and couldn't give up.

Major General Nakazawa can be regarded as a master, with the remnants of the army, he contained the strength of more than 60,000 people in his four brigades, and he did not dare to let go of his hands and feet to fight, this feeling of being led by the nose made him extremely uncomfortable.

After Tang Qiusheng received the order, he led the troops from Banmao to the south as quickly as possible, and from the assembly of the troops to the start of action, it took less than an hour for the three infantry brigades, one tank brigade, artillery unit, and other logistics units of the Sulu Mobile Corps.

From Banmao to Degang, a distance of more than 100 kilometers, the troops led by Tang Qiusheng took less than 20 hours, and arrived at Degang in the middle of the night on July 6.

There needs to be a general who can coordinate the overall situation, and is a calm personality and not easy to be impulsive, to command all the troops, this person, only Brother Qiusheng is the most suitable, Chang Feng and Yu Guanghan, are a little more tender, such a blocking battle without tricks to speak of, there is no impulse.

Time was pressing, Tang Qiusheng and Tang Qiuli brothers, on the side of the road, spread out the military map, discussed some details, the staff officers set up a simple tent with raincoats, turned on the flashlight, one after another, in the dark night, compared with the snow-white car lights on the road next to it, the rolling steel torrent, it seemed insignificant.

But the officers and soldiers of the Independent Division who rushed to the battlefield day and night would have thought that it was these flashlights that determined the life and death of hundreds of thousands of troops, and the final outcome of the Northern Burma Campaign, the first and third people of the Independent Division did not even have time to find a spacious room, which shows how much pressure the battle situation on the southern front put on Tang Qiuli.

More than twenty minutes later, the staff officer packed up the map, Tang Qiuli took his cousin's hand, and said: "Brother Qiusheng, blocking the Ito Japanese army is a difficult task, now, I have handed over ten infantry brigades, four tank brigades and other troops to you, and I have also handed over a difficult burden to Brother Qiusheng, you have worked hard." ”

Needless to say than Tang Qiuli said, Tang Qiusheng knew very well in his heart that when Feng Jiwu's corps and Ma Chaoyang's corps did not rush to the battlefield in northern Burma, this was all the troops that the independent division could mobilize, more than 200,000 troops, and nearly 400,000 troops against Ito's main force, nearly 400,000 people, were still at a disadvantage, but Tang Qiusheng didn't say anything, just shook his brother's hand tightly.

Now it is not a question of whether to fight or not, but it must be fought, in the Degang Gorge, more than 1,000 soldiers surrounded by more than 20,000 Japanese troops are the only factor that can contain the troops of the independent division and cannot maneuver flexibly with the Japanese army in northern Burma, Tang Qiusheng knows his responsibility, at this moment, a feeling of life and death, blood connection, suddenly flowed in the hearts of the brothers.

Tang Qiuli continued: "Brother Qiusheng, in order to unify the command, I have issued an order to set up the Wubin Front Command Headquarters, and you will be the commander-in-chief, taking over the command of Chang Feng and Yu Guanghan, and taking full responsibility for the execution of the campaign, my attention will be all on solving the Japanese army in Degang." ”

The brothers waved goodbye, Tang Qiusheng's car, quickly disappeared into the night, Tang Qiuli occupied the side of the road for a long time, until the troops of the Sulu Mobile Corps, all through Guò Degang, returned to the headquarters relatively easily, in order to solve the soldiers surrounded by the Japanese army, Tang Qiuli decided to use Chutian's special operations detachment.

There are three special operations detachments, under the leadership of the detachment leader Colonel Chu Tian, are rushing to Degang, plus the 18th detachment that was originally operating in the Degang area, the special operations detachment has more than 900 people, and they are concentrated in Degang, this is also a matter of no choice, as far as the current situation is concerned, it is obviously not possible to fight hard and rush hard, Tang Qiuli is the only force that can be used, that is, Chutian's special operations detachment.

Just when Tang Qiusheng rushed to the Wubin front line overnight, Major General Chang Feng, chief of staff of the independent division and chief of staff of the directly subordinate corps, commanded the strength of three brigades, and had already fought a fierce battle with more than 400,000 Japanese troops for half a day and a night.

During this time, the troops of the Independent Division were under unprecedented pressure, and when Chang Feng rushed to Wubin, Ito's main force of the Japanese army had already left Mengmi, and in Wubin, the fierce gunfire from the direction of Mengmi could already be clearly heard, which was Yu Guanghan's flank troops, attacking the Japanese army without stopping.

Chang Feng didn't even have time to carefully inspect the terrain, and his eyes keenly found a suitable location for establishing a blocking front, located in the Bauldwin mining area, more than 20 kilometers south of Ubin, which is the largest coal mine in Burma, which the British have mined for decades, and the reserves are still very rich.

Years of mining, around the mining area, there are countless mines, high gangue mountains, the mountain road leading to Degang, must pass through a radius of more than 100 kilometers of mining area, Chang Feng in the Baodwen mining area, set up the first blocking line, by the direct corps of the eighth brigade, the Sulu mobile corps of the ninth brigade, and then serve as the blocking task.

In Wubin, a second line of blocking was set up, and the 8th Brigade of the Sulu Mobile Corps was used as the blocking force of the second line of defense, and at the same time, it was also the general reserve, and Chang Feng's order to the front-line troops was, "Regardless of the cost, nail me to the Baudwin mining area," In fact, Chang Feng said this out of helplessness.

Two field infantry brigades, more than 30,000 people, distributed over a vast area of more than 100 kilometers, just like a few stones, thrown into a large lake, can not stir up much waves, but he must do this, after the Baldwin mining area, the road to Degang will be in the Arctic of Burma to see a flat river, there is no danger to defend.

Don't expect that brigade in Wubin to be able to block the Japanese army that broke through the blocking line, the reason is very simple, there is a huge disparity in strength, and no matter how superior the firepower is, it cannot completely make up for the huge gap in strength, so the front-line blocking troops cannot retreat a single step.

The Eighth Brigade of the Corps and the Ninth Brigade of the Sulu Mobile Corps, with more than 30,000 soldiers, rushed to the Baudwin mining area almost at the same time, and before they had time to catch their breath, they immediately began to dig the fortifications to waist-deep depth, and a screaming sound, coming from far and near, dozens of shells, fell on both sides of the road leading to Degang in the mining area.

The Japanese army pounced more than 40 minutes earlier than expected, and then, seeing a large line of Japanese tanks, neatly parked in the open space outside the mining area, Chang Feng hurriedly gave an order, "Hide in place, this is the Japanese artillery test firing, soon, the second round of shells, will fall on the head," A few minutes later, more shells covered all possible hiding places and salients within three kilometers on both sides of the road.

Chang Feng's headquarters, located in an abandoned mine, shouted loudly into the telephone receiver, "All units should not be in a hurry to launch a counterattack, they must be well concealed, and wait for the Japanese army to enter the best firing range before firing, and strive to inflict maximum damage on the Japanese army. ”

General Ito Yanzaburo, with a telescope to observe the effect of the shelling, into the eye, is full of smoke and black dust, nothing can be seen, Ito put down the telescope in disappointment, from Meng Mi, this way, the Japanese army did not go smoothly, Yu Guanghan four brigade flank troops, just like the nasty gadfly, staring at it.

Keep coming out and taking a bite and leaving, from Mengmi to the Baudwin mining area, a short distance of dozens of kilometers, the Japanese army led by Ito can be said to have fought over.

(To be continued)

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