The battle on the Tonggu front was still ongoing, and under the powerful offensive of the superior forces of the Japanese 18th Division, no one knew how long Tonggu would be able to hold out.

At this time, even the Allied Command in the far rear telegraphed Sun Liren many times that Tonggu had no significance in holding on, and it was of little strategic significance, so he ordered the troops stationed in Tonggu to withdraw from Tonggu. This request was naturally rejected by Sun Liren.

The British and U.S. military staff committees pessimistically estimated that if the 1st Division of the Expeditionary Force in Tonggu did not withdraw from Tonggu in an orderly manner within two days, they would most likely be surrounded and annihilated by the Japanese army.

It is not unfounded for the British and American staff to make such a judgment, after all, the Japanese 18th Division is a strong and strong army, and it is also a unit that is good at jungle warfare, and it is impossible for Tonggu to hold on to it under the absolute superiority of troops and firepower.

Sun Liren reported the situation to the Nanjing Ministry of National Defense. Huang Ke instructed: "The battle of Tonggu is the first battle of our army's expedition, and retreating without a fight will naturally damage the prestige of the country and the army, but if it is at the cost of paying huge sacrifices, it can also be defended." Since ancient times, the general has been outside, and the king's order has not been affected. Without violating the general principles, everything is up to you. ”

Seeing Huang Ke's reply to himself, Sun Liren frowned. After thinking for a moment, he hung up the phone to the Tonggu front. Commander Dai of the 1st Division answered his call.

On the phone, Sun Liren accurately conveyed Huang Ke's meaning to him, and he asked again with confirmation: "Whether Tonggu can stick to it, how sure are you in your heart?" ”

When Sun Liren was talking to Commander Dai, he could clearly hear the sound of Si Suosuo's cannon coming from the earpiece.

Division Commander Dai thought for a while and said, "The 1st Division is now a light mechanized infantry division, which is superior to the Japanese army in terms of mobility. Relying on Tonggu as a defense, it is not a problem to hold on for twenty days. Even if the Japanese army were all pounced, I would be able to ensure that the troops would withdraw in an orderly manner. ”

After saying that, he added: "This is the worst-case scenario. ”

"Okay, that's what I'm waiting for." Sun Liren and Commander Dai of the 1st Division both knew that the First Battle with the Ancient Dynasty was not so simple in the strategic sense, it was the first battle of the expeditionary force going abroad, and if it was to retreat without a fight like this, not to mention the morale, it would naturally be looked down upon by Britain and the United States and others.

"The British think that Tonggu can't hold it, so we just hold it and show them. Division Commander Dai, if there is any need at the front, just put it forward. At present, our air force is not yet in place, but the chairman of the committee said that he will send us an additional batch of rocket artillery, and at that time, priority will be given to equipping your 1st Division, and the US air force will also be stationed in India, and they can also provide air fire support at that time. Whatever? I will give you my full support, and I wish you a successful start! ”

Sun Liren's words were a little excited, and it didn't feel like a conversation between a superior and a subordinate, but a conversation between two friends.

The roaring sound of artillery kept coming from the other end of the phone, and Division Commander Dai patted the dirt scattered on his body and said: "Commander, please rest assured, I promise to defeat the Japanese army in Tonggu, if not, I will come to see you!" ”

After speaking, Senior Commander Dai hung up the phone and walked forward wearing a steel helmet.

……

Although Division Commander Dai was full of confidence, the battle on the Tonggu front was still not optimistic. After the Japanese army suffered setbacks in successive attacks, Lieutenant General Mutaguchi Ryoya, commander of the 18th Division, ordered the rest of his subordinate troops to hurry closer, and in less than three days, almost the entire strength of the 18th Division rushed up.

The combat effectiveness of the 18th Division should not be underestimated, and this strong Japanese army, which was good at jungle warfare, participated in many battles in East China, such as Songhu and Nanjing, at the beginning of the Sino-Japanese War.

Since the outbreak of the Pacific War, the 18th Division has been ordered to mobilize the Nanyang region. This time they played their part. The force began its offensive from the Malay Peninsula and was almost unmatched.

Their soldiers were all recruited from Kyushu and other places in Japan, and were generally short and stocky, dark-skinned and well-equipped, and good at jungle warfare. The subordinate units are equipped with a large number of light automatic weapons and artillery, and at the same time, they are supported by a different number of air units, and they have also captured the military materials of the US military in Rangoon and other places to aid us. Coupled with the brilliant achievements along the way since the attack from the Japanese mainland, it is natural that the 1st Division of Tonggu will not be taken into account.

But what they didn't expect was that the small Tonggu turned out to be the place where the 18th Division folded its wings.

Since the 18th Division issued the order to attack Tonggu a week ago, their continuous uninterrupted attack has lasted for six days and five nights, but they still have not been able to take Tonggu according to the prior plan, and they have found nothing but the corpses of thousands of Japanese soldiers and a piece of scorched earth.

This made the division commander, Lieutenant General Mutaguchi Ryoya, anxious in his heart. In the afternoon, after a round of attacks, he went to the front accompanied by the commander of the front, Shiro Yamazaki.

Through the binoculars, he looked at the ancient city of Tong, which was filled with gunsmoke. Despite the ruins of the city, the canine-toothed trenches and beacon firing points, as well as the snake-bellied barbed wire, still give the impression that it was a well-defended fortress. Just now, the Japanese army launched another attack, but it still failed to break through the defensive line, and the intensity of the fire back and forth was very high, only to see the imperial soldiers who rushed forward one by one were torn to pieces by the dense rain of bullets.

"Across the street is the new expeditionary force sent by the Shina government?" Mutaguchi Ren also threw away the telescope in his hand and asked a little angrily.

"Hayi! On the opposite side is the 1st Division of the China Expeditionary Force, and this is already the seventeenth time that we have gone head-to-head with them. Yamazaki wiped the dust from his face and said, "Their soldiers have a tenacious sense of battle, and we have engaged in white-knuckle battles with them during many attacks, and it can be said that their combat awareness is not inferior to that of our soldiers." In addition, their equipment level is mostly automatic weapons, and they have a large number of light tanks, artillery and armored vehicles made in China, so we have no advantage in this regard, so it becomes extremely difficult to attack. ”

"Made in China!" Mutaguchi also whispered the word. The meaning of this word in Japanese is not a good word, because "shinashishi" often means that the quality of the product is inferior and the performance is not up to the requirements. I didn't expect that on this battlefield, the so-called "Shina style" has become synonymous with excellence, which is really ridiculous.

"Yamazaki-kun, now I have sent additional reinforcements to your command, and the strength is already twice as large as the Inner Branch Expeditionary Force in the ancient city, no matter what, you have to take Tonggu within three days." After Mu Tian finished speaking, a trace of unhappiness passed on Yamazaki's face, he frowned, and said insincerely: "Hayi! ”

Muta walked over to Yamazaki and asked as he paced; "Yamazaki-kun, do you know where the fortress is easiest to breach?"

Yamazaki thought for a moment and then said, "Your Excellency the General means to attack from within?" ”

Mu Tian looked at the ancient city in the distance and said, "The Burmese Volunteer Army planned and established by the spy department has started to act inside Tonggu. The monks within the Tonggu have also begun to show their support for the Imperial Army, and now it is time for them to show themselves. ”

……

Su Hui and Robert and their entourage still arrived safely in Tonggu, which was defended by the expeditionary force. The atmosphere of war is everywhere, the streets are full of sandbag fortifications, and the heavily armed expeditionary officers and soldiers are patrolling back and forth, and the occasional sound of guns and planes seems to tell visitors that war is going on here.

Robert Pat picked up the camera in his hand and snapped a few pictures. A little kid hurried by, and Robert squatted down and said, "Hey, kid, I have sugar here, do you want to eat it?" ”

The child looked at Robert in horror, but looked at the candy in his hand and was a little tempted. Just as he was about to reach out to pick it up, his mother ran over in a panic, picked up the child and ran frantically.

Robert stood up and scratched his head: "Sue, why do I think every local has a hostile look in our eyes?" Shouldn't we be their allies? ”

Miao Aman on the side naturally also discovered this clue, and he looked around vigilantly, for fear that these people would bring any danger to the target they protected.

Su Hui shook her head and said, "No, Mr. Pat, in the eyes of the Burmese, we are not their allies. Aung San, a Burmese who was leading the Burmese independence movement, and the Burmese had been longing to get rid of the British, were preaching liberation from the Japanese, so it was only natural that they would reject us. ”

Robert Pat shrugged, "I don't think the Japanese will do what they advertise." ”

Su Hui said: "Who knows? The British certainly didn't do that anyway, and as far as I know, many of the British have ruined their order here, and Burma is a religious country, and the monks have a high status among them, and the arrival of the British has undermined this notion of these, which must have made them look forward to the Japanese. ”

Rob nodded and said with a smile: "It seems that I chose to come out with you this time correctly." ”

Su Hui also shrugged his shoulders and said, "I grew up in Manila and have studied the human history of various parts of East Asia, but I think it should not be the Japanese who can help Myanmar, maybe the Chinese." ”

"Forget it, let's not talk about politics anymore. There's a church in front, let's go in, thank God! Today happens to be the weekend, and you know I haven't had a service for a long time. Robert suggested.

"Okay, but I think this church has been converted into a hospital now." After Su Hui finished speaking, she followed him towards the church.