After receiving the telegram from the division commander Tang Qiuli, the deputy division commander Tang Qiusheng was on the march, and after the chief of staff Yu Guanghan handed the telegram to him, Tang Qiusheng took a closer look at it, and there was a thoughtful look in his eyes.

Yu Guanghan said: "Deputy division commander, why do you let us go to Imphal instead of going to Central India?" In the first phase of the East Indies Campaign, we didn't catch up, and in the second stage, it was in vain again! Just a besieged Imphal, do you still need to command? Isn't it okay to designate that brigade commander as you like? ”

Tang Qiusheng shook his head and said: "Guanghan, the true intention of the division commander, you haven't figured it out, the siege of Impal without attacking is to fish out the last strength of the British and Indian army, the situation of Imphal, the same as Sido's, is a bait, it belongs to the matter of slow simmering and fine operation, the five brigades of the troops responsible for the encirclement belong to two corps, no one is in the center to coordinate and command, in case the adjustment is inconsistent, it is easy to destroy the division commander's plan." ”

"Don't complain, when the general attack on Imphal comes, there will be your battle! Send a telegram to several brigade commanders of the directly subordinate corps, explaining the transfer of command, and order the 11th Brigade to turn around and go to Imphal! ”

In addition to Yu Guanghan, chief of staff of the Sulu Mobile Corps, who was full of discomfort because he had not fought a tough battle, there was another person who was also depressed and itchy, and went straight in circles in the command headquarters!

Major General Le Yiqin, commander of the Southern Flying Group of the Independent Division's Air Force, made meticulous preparations for the East India Campaign, and all the bombers and fighters participating in the battle were fully fueled. Stop on the runway. The pilots rested on the edge of the runway, in makeshift sheds, waiting for the front-line troops to take to the air and drop bombs on the heads of the British and Indians.

After Liao Zhenbang's Second Brigade fired the first shot of the first battle, Le Yiqin's radio was so silent that he went crazy, and on the morning of 21 May, the war briefing from the division commander's staff office came. Only then did Le Yiqin know that on the battlefield in the East Indies, it was already blooming everywhere, and more than a dozen brigades were attacking everywhere. The fight is in full swing, but there is nothing wrong with the Southern Flying Group!

Le Yiqin wondered, didn't these guys need air fire support, he couldn't sit still anymore, called through the radio, and called Liu Hongzhang, the commander of the First Brigade of the Corps directly under him, for a while, "I said Lao Liu, do you need me to send aircraft support?" Don't be embarrassed! ”

After a while, he called Wang Yiwu, commander of the 10th Brigade of the Sulu Mobile Corps. "Lao Wang, are you struggling to fight there? I remember that your troops, all the heavy equipment, remained in Magao, what is the need, just talk, a couple of bomber regiments is not a problem, old fellows for many years! ”

After a while, Le Yiqin almost greeted more than a dozen brigade commanders, but he could wait for a call back. The content is basically the same, "Thank you for the kindness of Commander Le, the troops are progressing smoothly, and the resistance of the British and Indian troops is weak, and the battle will be ended immediately." Don't dare to work your driver! ”

Simply refused, and our infantry fought well. Just do what you have to do, don't worry about it, Le Yiqin scolded angrily, "These guys who eat alone are not afraid to hold on!" Colonel Xu Zihan, chief of staff of the flight group, interpreted it as, "Without the loneliness of the opponent, the commander is going crazy if he wants to fight!" ”

It's not bad, the 5th and 6th Brigades of the Sulu Mobile Corps, when attacking the Anglo-Indian troops of Zhenhati, finally remembered the aviation troops, Le Yiqin was excited, but he was quickly discouraged, and the big place was at best to use a bomber regiment, but it was not enjoyable, not to mention the fact that he personally led the team to take to the air to fight.

For Le Yiqin, who wants to fight a big battle, a bombing of Zhenhati is not enough to even plug the gaps, this mentality is directly reflected in Le Yiqin's telegram to the division commander Tang Qiuli, "Division commander, all the combat units of our group have made full preparations for the East India Campaign, but until the end of the campaign, our unit has not had the opportunity to participate in the war, the morale of the troops is high, there has been no combat mission for a long time, and I am afraid that the pilots will be dissatisfied, so as to affect the morale of the troops!" ”…,

Tang Qiuli, who had already arrived at the front line of Central India, shook his head with a smile after reading Le Yiqin's telegram, and immediately called him back, "Le Yiqin, I'm afraid it's not the pilots who are dissatisfied, but you Le Yiqin alone, I can't afford to affect the morale of your Le Yiqin's flight troops, okay, transfer elite troops, form a battle formation, stationed at the Yangon Naval Air Base, cooperate with Commander Tang of the fleet, and participate in the battle to seize the islands in the eastern Indian Ocean!" ”

The British colonial authorities in India, in accordance with the request of Vice Admiral Chelsea, commander of the Eastward Advance Corps, have drawn all the reserve troops and gathered them on the Central Indian front in an attempt to open a passage for the Eastward Advance Corps to retreat to the interior of India.

An hour later, Vice Admiral Tang Qiuquan, commander of the fleet, led a task force consisting of two aircraft carriers, more than 30 large and small warships, and more than 100 armed transport ships, quietly sailed away from the Yangon Sea Air Base and disappeared into the vast eastern Indian Ocean.

In the eastern Indian Ocean in May, the southwest monsoon set off stormy waves, the waves were turbulent, and the huge waves like small mountains slammed fiercely on the deck of the bow of the warship, shattering into tens of millions of snow-white waves; on the fleet's flagship "Canglang," fleet commander Tang Qiuquan was holding a military meeting attended by the captains of various ships, the commanders of the aircraft carrier-based aircraft regiments, and the commanders of the Marine Corps, Han Tie, and the commanders of the Marine Brigades.

Colonel Xin Xiguo, chief of staff of the fleet, after reading out the combat order of the division commander Tang Qiuli, looked at the participants and said in a calm tone: "Everyone, the content of the division commander's order, everyone knows that the first stage of the East India Campaign has been successfully concluded, and the second stage that is about to begin is mainly to annihilate the reserve forces of the British and Indian troops. ”

"The reserve forces of the Anglo-Indian army are all gathered on the front line of Central India, that is to say, when we carry out the operational orders of the division headquarters, except for the existing Anglo-Indian troops defending the islands, there will be no Anglo-Indian troops to interfere with our operations, and the division commander has given us the fleet and created the best chance to destroy the enemy."

"Our mission is very clear, and the director of the intelligence department has provided detailed information to the fleet, including the basic information on the strength and firepower of the British and Indian garrisons on the islands in the eastern Indian Ocean.

Rear Admiral Amosyev, the first deputy commander of the fleet, was the first to stand up, walked to the large chart of the Indian Ocean, and said in fluent Chinese: "Commander Tang, officers, in terms of the current situation of the war on land, the defeat of the British is only a matter of time, and the series of battles launched by the division commander in the East Indies has created the best opportunity for us. ”

"Again, at sea, with the current strength of our fleet, it will not be a problem to seize any of the islands, we must be clear, we cannot start from where to start, but I would like to warn you, no, ignore here," said Amosyev's fist, slamming into one place, and continued, "It is in the port of Visakhapatnam on the east coast of the Indian mainland." ”

Since he was rescued from the prisoner of war camp of the Kwantung Army by Tang Qiuli in Vladivostok, Amosiyev has won the respect and admiration of all the officers and men of the fleet with his superb command art, sophisticated strategic vision, and love and professionalism for this fleet during his several years of work in the fleet.

When it came to commanding naval battles, Fleet Commander Tang Qiuquan thought that he was inferior, and the words of such a heavyweight would never be untargeted, and the attention of all officers was attracted. …,

Amosiev continued: "The port of Visakhapatnam is the largest naval base of the British forces in India, and the entire British fleet in India is anchored there, although this fleet does not have aircraft carriers, but there are more than 60 warships of all sizes, including eight cruisers and battleships with a displacement of more than 9,000 tons, and it is a threat that cannot be ignored. ”

"In our battle to seize the island, because there are many targets to attack, the warships of the fleet will inevitably be dispersed and deployed in different directions in order to provide fire support for the marines to land on the island and fight, and the scattered ships will inevitably be attacked by the British fleet stationed in India.

"Therefore, I believe that the point of this campaign is not to seize the islands, but to annihilate the British fleet, so that we can carry out the campaign without any worries!" I'm done talking!

This is the character of Amosiev, when it comes to the issue of campaign command, he never hides his head and tail, and it doesn't matter who you are, if you are wrong, he will unceremoniously point it out, including to the commander of the fleet, Tang Qiuquan.

The officers who participated in the meeting were accustomed to it, and Tang Qiuquan didn't care about it, the two of them had been partners for several years, and this kind of thing was not uncommon, Tang Qiuquan took over and said: "Deputy Commander Amosyev's words are very reasonable, but I was negligent, it seems that our operational direction must be adjusted heavily, and the opinions of the deputy commander should be the mainstay." ”

Major General Han Tie, commander of the Marine Corps, stood up and said: "Let me talk about the views of our Marine Corps, can the battle of seizing islands in the eastern Indian Ocean be carried out with such tactics?" ”

(To be continued) (To be continued.) If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation and monthly passes, and your support is my biggest motivation. )