newbobooks Chapter 165 Liao Yaoxiang’s Plan
Chapter 165 Liao Yaoxiang’s Plan
After about an hour of fighting, the Japanese 115th Division finally broke through the enemy's position on the opposite side. The enemy fled towards the bridge, leaving behind a pile of discarded guns and empty bullet shells. However, the pursuing Japanese troops were also blocked by the enemy's second-line positions, and the attack was once again blocked.
The regimental commander calculated the distance and found the bridge was about 1.5 kilometers away. Judging by the enemy's resistance, he estimated that a single charge tomorrow would reach the bridge. It was already late, and the enemy was adept at mountain warfare, night raids, and guerrilla warfare. While the 115th Division was doing relatively well, it was rumored that major divisions like the 18th and 33rd Divisions had also suffered greatly at the hands of the guerrillas.
The regimental commander reported to the division commander and ordered the troops to arrange defense and rest on the spot. At the same time, the regimental artillery bombardment had consumed too many shells and needed to be replenished by the division. After arranging all this, he took the heated can of food handed to him by the adjutant and returned to his tent.
Mutaguchi Renya received a report from the 115th Division and was very satisfied that a regiment of the 115th Division had quickly approached the Bhamo Bridge. He immediately sent a telegram to the commander of the 33rd Division, asking him to urge his battalion to catch up as soon as possible and to encircle and annihilate the guerrilla army that was trying to seize the Bhamo Bridge.
Mutaguchi Ren'ya's biggest concern now was the battle on the Myitkyina front. The 114th Regiment had already lost Mong Pass, and the 23rd Regiment, having retreated into the mountains, was dispersing in squadrons and companies toward Myitkyina. Muta was deeply dissatisfied with the Burma Front's repeated requests for the 28th Army to withdraw from northern Burma. He secretly cursed Watanabe Shozo for being a loser. Since he assumed command, the Burma Front had been in a state of decline. Not only had it suffered repeated defeats on the battlefield, but its forces had been steadily weakened, and it had already lost its title as the Southern Army's First Front.
In fact, Muta was more clear-headed than many high-ranking Japanese military officials that if China and the United States occupied northern Burma and opened up the Sino-Indian highway, the Chinese government would immediately receive large-scale assistance from the US military. The Chinese Expeditionary Force and even the Kwantung Army in Manchuria would be under tremendous pressure and might even be unable to hold on.
However, the high-ranking officials and financial groups at the Japanese headquarters only saw the vast resources of Southeast Asia. They had no idea how formidable a force the Chinese army, after more than a decade of war, would be once equipped with modern weapons. This would be a huge threat to the Japanese Empire, even comparable to the powerful naval and air forces of the Allies!
As an old militarist, Mou Tian intentionally or unintentionally disobeyed orders and secretly gathered the 33rd Division and the 115th Division. He was ready to have a decisive battle with Liao Yaoxiang's Indian Army in Myitkyina and would never give up northern Burma unless it was absolutely necessary!
Similarly, Liao Yaoxiang, commander of the Japanese garrison in India, was closely monitoring the movements of various Japanese units in northern Burma. In addition to ordering them to launch a fierce attack, he also secretly mobilized the main force of the New 22nd Division of the New 22nd Army, preparing to deliver a fatal blow to the old devil, Muta. To this end, he contacted Huang Wei, commander of the 200th Army Group in Guisui, via radio, to seek his opinion on the war in northern Burma and his support.
Huang Wei had risen from a Lieutenant Colonel-level deputy chief of staff upon his arrival in Burma to command several of the Nationalist Army's most powerful group armies. Of course, Liao Yaoxiang's current Indian Army garrison was also one of the Nationalist Army's most powerful groups. Although both held the rank of Lieutenant General and General, Liao Yaoxiang considered himself inferior to Huang Wei. Putting aside other matters, Huang Wei's brothers, such as Kuang Zhengqi and Yang Hong, were both prominent figures in the Allied forces on both fronts. While their ranks were lower than Liao Yaoxiang's (only Lieutenant General), no one in the Nationalist Army would dare to consider them Lieutenant Generals. Even ordinary generals and first-class generals in the Nationalist Army had to look up to them. They were truly recognized as Lieutenant Generals by the Allies and were widely regarded as important Allied commanders. Time magazine even ranked them alongside senior American and British generals. Liao Yaoxiang's old rival, General Sun Liren, the current commander of the First Route Army of the Expeditionary Force, would likely have to affectionately address these two direct subordinates as "brothers."
Huang Wei's advice to Liao Yaoxiang coincided with Liao's own: to try to delay the Japanese 28th Division and prevent its smooth withdrawal from northern Burma. Huang Wei's plan was more detailed: to tie down the main force of Muta's 28th Army at Myitkyina and launch a decisive battle. Furthermore, they would utilize the Bhamo Bridge to tie down Japanese forces on both fronts in northern Burma. Commander Zheng Dongguo, commanding the Second Corps, would pin down Watanabe Masao's 33rd Army in southern Yunnan and northeastern Burma. Qin Shi's guerrilla forces would wreak havoc on transportation lines in northeastern Burma, hindering Watanabe Masao's escape.
With two heavily armed Japanese divisions stationed in Myitkyina, the Japanese would surely not abandon northeastern Burma. Consequently, the battle for Bhamo Bridge would be extremely fierce. Liao Yaoxiang expressed some concern about whether a 2-3-man detachment of the Qin Shi guerrilla army could withstand the attack. Huang Wei told Liao Yaoxiang to hold on even if he couldn't. He would contact Qin Shi and also instructed Liao Yaoxiang to dispatch the special forces of the Indian Army. According to Huang Wei, special forces are the sharpest weapons to be deployed when needed most, and he believed they were capable of doing so.
Liao Yaoxiang knew the capabilities of the Special Forces of the Indian Army. Their core members were transferred from the former 600th Regiment, the unit Huang Wei had founded. The entire Special Forces unit's operational principles and training were personally supervised by Wang Congwu, a recognized tactical expert. They were originally slated to be transferred north with the 200th Army, but Liao Yaoxiang shamelessly requested them from Huang Wei. Having personally witnessed the Special Forces' combat drills, Liao Yaoxiang said that while one against ten was a bit excessive, one against five was certainly no problem. They were organized as a battalion of approximately 400 men. Liao Yaoxiang was confident that a fully armed regiment would not be able to gain any advantage against the Special Forces.
After talking with Commander Huang, Commander Liao had a plan. Without hesitation, he asked his adjutant to contact the US military, and the special forces took advantage of the night to airdrop to the Bamao Bridge!
Meanwhile, Huang Wei had just finished talking to Commander Liao and was about to send a telegram to Qin Shi when Wang Congwu hurriedly entered, closed the door, and said to Huang Wei urgently, "Boss, the US Army Quartermaster General just came to me and said a batch of tanks and armored vehicles will be arriving in Ulaanbaatar soon, and asked when we should go to receive them."
Huang Wei thought for a moment and said to Wang Congwu, "Tell General Smith (Chief of the Northern Military Supply Coordination of the Allied Far East Theater) that we will not accept these tanks and armored vehicles. Let him allocate them to the 115th and 129th Group Armies."
"Why? We help them train and give them weapons first. If we set off immediately, what weapons will we use to deal with the Germans?" Wang Congwu asked puzzledly.
Huang Wei asked Wang Congwu to sit down first, then poured him a glass of water. After he calmed down, he slowly explained the reason to him.