Just as the southerners could not comprehend the freezing cold outside the Guanxi without experiencing it themselves, the Ming army did not expect the scorching heat in the Indu region to be so terrible, and even the soldiers from Guangdong underestimated the power of this high temperature of 30 or 40 degrees.

The cool oil and wind oil essence that used to be very effective in the Quartet have no effect here, but Huoxiang Zhengqi Water still has some effect.

Tens of thousands of soldiers suffered from heat stroke and dehydration, and hundreds of trucks, armored vehicles, and tanks burned out their engines from overheating.

In addition to malaria, dysentery, cholera, and dengue fever, parasitic diseases such as giardiasis and visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar) are also commonplace.

From 28 June to 10 August, 37,000 non-combat personnel were attrition due to natural conditions, of which 201 officers and men died of heat stroke, and the highest rank was an artillery lieutenant colonel.

Despite the difficulties and a lackluster series of battles, the Ming and Southern armies broke through the Ganges-Brahmaputra defense line on all fronts.

The retreat of the Commonwealth army after the collapse of the defensive line can be described as a mess, obviously the air supremacy has not been lost, only a small number of Ming aircraft bombed the retreating British army, but it still caused serious chaos.

The artillery officers of the Ming army who were riding in the school shooting plane on duty could see that the mountains were full of destroyed or abandoned weapons and equipment, and wisps of black smoke towered into the clouds.

The captives lined up in a long line were escorted to the east, while beside them, the Ming troops lined up in a long line were marching west.

Many of the infantry units that had no cars to sit on also took the captured Austin trucks and Bedford trucks, and those humble Bren machine gun trucks were the most sought-after trophies, and the barter standard used by the Ming army was two trucks for one Bren car.

Some soldiers deliberately put up banners with words such as "Thank you for the Prime Minister's reward" and "Thousands of miles to send the car, grateful" when they took a group photo.

This annoyed the old men of the Zhengmi banner in London, and if this continued, the enemy would have to invade the land of the British Empire and rob it of its most shining jewels.

This reminded the British of the tragic situation in Burma last year, when the enemy was everywhere in pursuit of each other, the Anglo-Indian and Anglo-Burmese armies were defeated and crushed under the continuous offensive, and the jungle from east to west was covered with corpses, which decomposed and turned into white bones that no one knew.

In the face of accountability from the London side, Admiral Archibald Wavell took the plunge and gave a tactful reply:

"This campaign is valuable, it proves that our deployment is effective, we have depleted the enemy's forces and ammunition, delayed their rapid offensive – at least we have had enough time to strengthen the defensive line in the Baharampur area, and now they have stopped their offensive."

"Another important takeaway is that we have a better understanding of the enemy's offensive habits and combat methods, and it highlights our deficiencies – training and weaponry, which will greatly accelerate our improvement. I want to make it clear that despite the tactical setbacks we had, it was generally correct and we were sure to defend Indu."

After that, the Ming army stopped its offensive on the northern front and held on to the position, and the two sides engaged in a tug-of-war on the southern front, east of Calcutta, which continues to this day.

The Ming army was scorched by the bad environment, and the British army was not much better, and both sides were crying miserably, which is an interesting situation.

The group army responsible for the invasion of the South Asian subcontinent was called the Indus Corps, which was upgraded from the original Eighth Army, and the supreme commander was Lieutenant General Mei Chaoyin.

Mei Chaoyin is 51 years old, born in Fenzhou Prefecture, and his father is an officer in the northwest to guard the major of the imperial battalion, which can be called a military family. Mei Chaoyin graduated from the Shuntian Martial Arts Academy, which is a typical example of Zheng'er Bajing being promoted from the grassroots level.

Inspector, a high-level military position with an unparalleled status in the eyes of the Ming people, is very capable of being appointed, and Mei Chaoyin is in charge of an entire corps alone, which can be said to be the time and luck.

Because the Burmese direction was not the goal of the Ming elite last year, it was undoubtedly a chore to lead troops to fight in such a barren, impoverished, and barren place, and few generals were willing to go there.

However, as the army gave up the plan to pacify Australia with quick success, the main direction of attack was changed to the South Asian subcontinent, and the Indo-Du Corps was then established on the basis of the Eighth Army.

At the beginning of the war last year, the Ming army, which was concentrating on attacking Nanyang, did not intervene in Burma, and the troops stationed in Yunnan only defended the border line.

It was not until Singapore was conquered, and when the Battle of Malaya was over, that the Ming army began to participate in the battle in the direction of Burma, and the strength of the army increased from one or two divisions to the current 100,000 people.

Feeling that the capture of Calcutta had become unrealistic, Mei decided to end the third offensive, which was underway.

The General Staff Office of the Metropolitan Governor's Office could not understand his plan, because although the telegrams sent back from the front had been complaining, judging from the data on paper, there should still be sufficient stamina, how could it be said that it was the end of the crossbow?

In June, the Ming army sent a total of 62,700 tons of various materials by sea, and 51,000 tons were actually delivered and received by British planes and submarines.

In July, the Ming army sent 84,000 tons of various materials, and Chittagong received 70,300 tons.

In August, the logistics department of the Ming army also planned to send out 80,000 tons of supplies, and 26,000 tons had been successfully dispatched by the beginning of the month.

Theoretically, there is not only a surplus, but there should be a lot of surplus.

Cheng Han and Mei Chaoyin exchanged more than ten telegrams in a few days, and there was a fierce debate about whether the campaign should continue.

"What do you think of Zhou Zhizhao?"

"What do I think? If you want me to say, you shouldn't go to Indu to fight in the summer, just stay along the Yajiang River. ”

It took two days and one night for Zhou Changfeng's transport plane to land at Gyeonggi's Gogyo Airport.

The military officer of the Governor's Mansion who came to greet him was still the seemingly kind Fan Ming from before, and on the way to the Governor's Mansion of the Dadu, the two discussed the battle situation in the direction of Indu.

Fan Ming said with regret: "If you stop here, your previous efforts will be wasted, there are signs that the enemy in front of you is almost unable to support it, the enemy defense line on the southern front is crumbling, if the air force makes a strong attack next to intercept the reinforcements from the enemy's railway, this battle will still have a chance to win." ”

"You can't be greedy, you must have the courage to stop when you say stop and stop in time." Zhou Changfeng said lightly: "Two months ago, I suggested not to rush to fight, to confront each other first, and then take the initiative to attack in autumn and winter. ”

The topic froze, and the car fell silent.

Zhou Changfeng turned his head to look out the window, wanting to observe the changes in the folk for a few months.

Although the staff at the gas station were still so leisurely, looking at the newspapers, chatting, and nibbling on melons, conspicuous signs were hung on the billboards, saying "Purchase is limited by ticket", and the prices of No. 56, No. 66, and No. 70 gasoline sold rose slightly, rising to a level similar to that before the war.

Apparently rationing has finally been enforced, but there seems to be no decline in the standard of living of the citizens?

The men still commute to work on bicycles and trams.

The women of Jingshi Ying Tianfu are still dressed stylishly and elegantly, only a little slower than those in Shanghai, with delicate pointed-toe heels, light viscose long skirts, and high-end silk blouses......

However, nylon stockings, which are important strategic materials, are indeed rarer than before.

After a long time, Zhou Changfeng was the first to break the silence.

"I heard that the navy is going to start building the kind of wartime merchant ships that are urgently built? How's it going? ”

Fan Ming hesitated for a few seconds and muttered: "I don't know much about the navy, but I seem to have heard them holding a summary meeting a few days ago, and it is estimated that there will definitely be a result in the near future." ”

After the outbreak of the Great War, with the successive passage of the "Basic Combat Readiness Act" and the "Three Armed Forces Expansion Act" by the Advisory Yuan, the construction plan of civilian ships began to be gradually managed by the Ming Navy.

By the beginning of the 40th century, less than 10 percent of the merchant ship construction plans were left to the discretion of private enterprises, and the rest were all left to the arrangement of the navy.

The total tonnage of 10 million tons of merchant ships seems to be rich, but it is still insufficient for the Ming Dynasty, which has a front across two oceans, and the actual capacity has not been sufficient.

In this regard, the Ming Navy cautiously expanded the scope of civilian ship recruitment, and at the same time started the wartime merchant ship construction plan.

It is certainly inappropriate to requisition merchant ships in a hurry, and this will have a serious negative impact on economic construction - in fact, since the outbreak of the war, the growth rate of industrial output in the Ming Dynasty has accelerated somewhat.

Output of important industrial products such as steel, aluminum, coal, and sulfuric acid is jumping, while private market sentiment is even hotter, and stocks are soaring with one victory after another.

Is this an overdraft or a stimulus? It is not known for the time being.

According to the shipbuilding standards and specifications revised by the Ming Shipbuilding Industry Association in the 37th year of Zhichang, the Navy and the Jiangsu-Zhejiang Shipbuilding Group organized a team to design wartime merchant ships.

In the context of the war, the transport ship emphasized the unification of material specifications, the efficiency of the construction process, and the simplicity of machinery and equipment, so as to shorten the construction period and increase the output.

On August 11, the Navy announced a plan for the design and construction of wartime merchant ships, including a high-speed troop carrier, three types of cargo ships, and one oil tanker.

Because the war went smoothly and everyone was very optimistic about the future situation, these wartime merchant ships were designed to continue to be used after the war, and did not abandon quality to blindly pursue production.

During the war, the fast-built merchant ships had their own serial numbers according to different types, namely: "Xin" for troop carriers, "Ren" for cargo ships, and "Gui" for oil tankers.

First, the Xin-4 type fast-built high-speed troop carrier, with an empty weight of 4,200 tons, a length of 112 meters and a width of 14 meters, is driven by four oil-coal mixed boilers and two steam turbines, with an output of 10,400 horsepower, a maximum speed of 20.5 knots, and a cruising range of 6,000 nautical miles.

In contrast to a slower freighter, which typically sails at a speed of only 10 knots, it is crucial for this high-speed troop carrier to be able to follow a fleet moving at a cruising speed of 14 knots.

Second, the Ren-6 type fast-built freighter, with an empty weight of 6,600 tons, a length of 132 meters and a width of 17 meters, is driven by three coal-fired water-tube boilers and a three-expansion steam engine, with a maximum power of 3,300 horsepower, a maximum speed of 12.3 knots, and a cruising range of 12,500 nautical miles.

The freighter will undoubtedly be the backbone of maritime transport, capable of carrying 8,000 tonnes of supplies, as well as carrying two 5-ton cranes and a 15-ton crane.

Third, the 2nd type fast-building freighter, with an empty weight of 2,070 tons, a length of 87 meters and a width of 13 meters, is driven by two coal-fired water-tube boilers and a three-expansion steam engine, with a maximum power of 1,600 horsepower, a maximum speed of 12 knots, and a cruising range of 4,200 nautical miles.

This type of freighter is smaller, but it has a well-designed landing stern door designed by Jiangsu and Zhejiang Shipbuilding Group, which is ideal for transporting vehicles.

Fourth, the Renyi type fast-building freighter, with an empty weight of 980 tons, a length of 67 meters, a width of 9.6 meters, driven by a diesel engine, a maximum power of 1,200 horsepower, a speed of 13.4 knots, and a cruising range of 4,000 nautical miles.

This kind of small cargo ship is mainly used by the people of the Ming Dynasty, transporting all kinds of miscellaneous bulk cargo between the major coastal cities of the mainland and the Ryukyus, Japan, Annam, and Korea.

Fifth, the non-5 type fast-built cargo ship, with an empty weight of 5,300 tons, a length of 119 meters and a width of 16 meters. The power configuration is the same as that of the Ren-6, driven by three coal-fired boilers and a three-expansion steam engine, with a maximum power of 3,300 hp, a maximum speed of 13 knots, and a cruising range of 7,000 nautical miles.

This kind of cargo ship is more special, it is completely designed to transport iron ore and copper ore to the Ming Dynasty, and there are semi-automatic large suspension excavators to assist in loading and unloading the ore in the shiphold.

Sixth, the Gui-9 tanker, 149 meters long, 20.4 meters wide, 9,700 tons of empty weight, driven by three oil-coal boilers and two three-expansion steam engines, with a maximum power of 6,300 horsepower, a maximum speed of 13 knots, and a cruising range of 11,500 nautical miles.

These large tankers carry the heavy responsibility of transporting the precious crude oil extracted from the Borneo and Palembang oil fields to the Ming mainland to be refueled into the constantly running war machine.

The above three categories and five small wartime fast-built merchant ships add up to 722 ships (excluding non-type small freighters) in the preliminary construction draft alone, followed by 23 additional ships, which are planned to be completed within one year.

However, whether or not these merchant ships should have a general name has become the focus of internal disputes, and the entanglement of names is largely due to the influence of Zhou.

As early as the beginning of this year, when he participated in the banquets of the magnates, he often talked nonsense and talked about the sea, and bet with many people that the Americans would definitely name the mass-built merchant ships as "freedom" and "victory" in the future, so as a response, it is also appropriate to call his wartime mass-produced merchant ships the Great Paelson Wheel.

At that time, there were some people who disagreed, and they felt that it was not a comparison at all.

If the Americans meant to bring freedom and victory with the help of these merchant ships, they might as well call it "indoctrination."

As expected, this was indeed the case - the EC2-S-C1 merchant ship was really called a freeship, so many people thought of the gossip at the banquet where the wine was over three rounds and the food was over five flavors.

(End of chapter)