newbobooks Chapter 542 Yamashita Fengwen is here
Chapter 542 Yamashita Fengwen is here
542 Yamashita Fengwen is here
On the morning of the 27th, Singapore, the Japanese 25th Army Headquarters
Commander Yamashita Tomoyuki stood in front of a map of Burma, listening to the latest orders from the Japanese headquarters in the country read out by Chief of Staff Suzuki Muneo next to him.
"Commander, the headquarters has ordered our 25th Army to rush to Burma.
Rescue the Fifteenth Army.
The situation at the 15th Army is extremely urgent.
We must set off as soon as possible.”
After Chief of Staff Suzuki So finished reading out the order from the headquarters, he whispered to Yamashita Tomoyuki.
Yamashita Fengwen looked disgusted and even asked impatiently: "Have you contacted the 15th Army Headquarters?"
Tomoyuki Yamashita hates to clean up other people's messes.
"No."
The Japanese Chief of Staff Suzuki Muneshi shook his head.
This incident also made him wonder why he couldn't contact the headquarters of the 15th Army.
"The latest news from the headquarters is that a regiment of the Chinese Army captured Rangoon yesterday.
General Iida's headquarters was forced to move to Mawlamyine.
Afterwards, they lost contact with the base camp.
At this time, not only could we not contact the 15th Army's headquarters, we couldn't even contact the headquarters.
It is estimated that it is still in the process of transfer.”
Suzuki So said.
“Hey, Shojiro Iida is also an idiot.
The 15th Army has four divisions. Previously, the headquarters wanted to strengthen the 15th Army's offensive in Burma.
We also transferred our army's 18th Division over there.
As a result, they are now surrounded by hundreds of thousands of Chinese troops.
It's a disgrace to the empire."
Yamashita Tomoyuki sneered and mocked Iida Shojiro.
The Japanese Chief of Staff Suzuki Sou next to him was so scared that he didn't dare to say a word.
Yamashita Tomoyuki dared to say this because he had just defeated the main force of the British army on the Malay Peninsula and was in the limelight.
He didn't dare to talk to her.
"Send a message to the 59th and th Divisions, as well as Mr. Ozawa's Southern Expeditionary Fleet, to prepare for battle.
We will embark tonight."
“Also, have the 3rd Flying Regiment fly to Siam Airport.
Since we can't contact the 15th Army Headquarters, then contact the 18th Division Headquarters directly.
I want to know the details of the situation on the battlefield in Myanmar at this moment, both sides of the enemy are in the battle. "
Yamashita Tomoyuki continued.
"Hi!"
Chief of Staff Suzuki Muneshi bowed, nodded, and left.
Just half an hour later, Suzuki So returned and contacted the headquarters of the Japanese 18th Division trapped in Mandalay.
We learned from the Japanese 18th Division the details of the Japanese 15th Army being trapped in Mandalay.
"Baka, Iida Shojiro, you idiot.
How could the 15th Army be brought to this state?"
Yamashita Tomoyuki became even more angry after learning about the dire situation of the Japanese 15th Army at that time.
“Inform all ministries to expedite action.
We will set out this evening.”
Yamashita Tomoyuki revised the order because the situation of the 15th Army was worse than he had expected.
After the Japanese airports in Yenangyaung and Rangoon were bombed by the Expeditionary Force.
This means that the Japanese no longer have an airport in Myanmar that can support the Mandalay front.
The Japanese flying regiment at the Siam airport could not fly to Mandalay to carry out airdrops for the Japanese 15th Army.
Before the special operations group attacked Rangoon, Shojiro Iida relied on his own flying regiment to go to the Mandalay front every day to airdrop ammunition to the trapped Japanese 15th Army.
Even so, Ye Qingshan also has an aviation team to intercept them.
However, the number of fighter planes in Ye Qingshan's air force is much smaller than that of the Japanese.
It is impossible to intercept all of them, and the Japanese airdrops can still be successful.
The last airdrop that the Japanese 15th Army received was two days ago.
According to the news sent back by the Japanese 18th Division, they were almost out of ammunition and food.
So, on the afternoon of the 27th.
Two major divisions of the 25th Army under Yamashita Tomoyuki, the 5th and 59th Divisions, boarded the ships of the Southern Expeditionary Fleet in the port of Singapore.
Go to Myanmar by sea.
Compared with traveling by land, traveling by sea is faster and more convenient.
It also makes it easier for Yamashita Tomoyuki to implement his subsequent new combat plan.
Yamashita Tomoyuki himself and his chief of staff Suzuki So flew to Siam first to take over the command of the 15th Army.
Just when Yamashita Tomoyuki led the two divisions of the Japanese 25th Army, more than 40,000 people, and more than 30,000 Japanese puppet troops, and headed for Burma by sea.
The 200,000 British troops commanded by Stilwell and Alexander also re-entered Burma from Imphal.
On the afternoon of the 27th, Stilwell arrived at Ye Qingshan's command post under the protection of a US military guard company.
Meet Ye Qingshan again.
"Commander-in-Chief!"
Ye Qingshan saluted Stilwell.
"Commander Ye."
Stilwell smiled back.
Compared to the contempt he showed when he first met Ye Qingshan, Stilwell's attitude towards Ye Qingshan was completely different this time they met again.
Ye Qingshan won Stilwell's admiration through his battlefield command over these seven or eight days.
Ye Qingshan also had a much better impression of Stilwell, the Allied Commander-in-Chief, than before.
At least, Stilwell kept his word.
After promising not to interfere with Ye Qingshan's command of the expeditionary force, he kept his word.
Moreover, the expeditionary force's aid supplies were not withheld.
This allowed Ye Qingshan to command an expeditionary force of more than 100,000 people and successfully carry out the counterattack over the past week.
If Stilwell had been a little less cunning, he would have deliberately cut off the expeditionary force's ammunition supply.
In this battle, it would be impossible for Ye Qingshan to fight to this extent.
It was for this reason that Ye Qingshan came out in person to greet Stilwell at this time, and in his heart he also recognized Stilwell as the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces in Southeast Asia.
The two entered the command center.
“Commander Ye, when I came here, I saw that your 66th Army units in Moneva had already begun to move forward.
Are you preparing to launch a general attack on the Japanese 15th Army trapped in Mandalay?"
Stilwell asked.
“The real general offensive needs to wait until a new batch of supplies arrives.
And, my armored division is complete.
Also, this will only be carried out after the 200,000 British troops you brought this time are put into the battlefield.
Otherwise, with the current strength of our expeditionary force, it would be impossible to defeat the more than 100,000 people of the Japanese 15th Army.
However, before the general attack begins.
I need to slowly tighten the noose around the Japanese 15th Army.
Let them slowly suffocate.”
Ye Qingshan said with a smile.
Afterwards, Stilwell walked to the large sand table at Ye Qingshan’s headquarters and looked at the giant battlefield sand table that Ye Qingshan had made. He couldn’t help but exclaimed:
"This sand table is well made. At a glance, the battlefield situation is very clear."
But then Stilwell discovered something was wrong.
Small flags representing the Japanese army were actually planted on the sea south of the sand table and in the direction of Siam to the east.
Stilwell frowned, turned to look at Ye Qingshan, and asked, "Commander Ye, are you worried that the Japanese may send reinforcements from Siam or the sea?"
"Ah."
Ye Qingshan nodded slightly.
He did have this concern.
At this time, the predicament of the Japanese 15th Army in Myanmar could no longer be solved by the Japanese 15th Army's own strength alone.
If the Japanese headquarters did not want to see the more than 100,000 Japanese soldiers of their 15th Army being wiped out in Burma.
The only way is to send reinforcements to rescue.
Therefore, Ye Qingshan concluded that the Japanese would definitely receive reinforcements in the next few days.
It is just not certain yet which of the two directions the Japanese reinforcements will come from and who will lead them.
"It's okay, the devils have reinforcements.
We have reinforcements, too.
We must win this battle.”
Stilwell was optimistic.
This time, he fought back with an American division of 10,000 people and 200,000 British troops.
Seeing Stilwell so optimistic, Ye Qingshan couldn't help but smile.
Ye Qingshan also had to admit that Stilwell's return with 200,000 British troops did greatly relieve the pressure on the Expeditionary Force.
“Also, I have contacted your headquarters.
I will ask your command center to send another 50,000 new soldiers to your expeditionary force.
Replenish the supplies your expeditionary force has consumed during this period.
It will probably be delivered within four to five days."
After hearing this, Ye Qingshan's eyes lit up and he looked at Stilwell. He was very satisfied with Stilwell's approach.
If Ye Qingshan were to ask the headquarters for new recruits.
The High Command might refuse.
However, since Stilwell had asked, the Supreme Command would most likely not refuse.
To be honest, Stilwell's status at this time was very influential both in the National Army and in the British Army.
Otherwise, how could he be the commander-in-chief of the Allied Forces in Southeast Asia?
The spokesperson for the financial sponsor is different.
“Sure enough, I knew you must have armored soldiers.
I guess it will be after your armored troops arrive at Imphal and take over the equipment of the British armored division.
Alexander must have been so angry that he slammed the table.
His plan was doomed to fail.”
Later, Ye Qingshan told Stilwell the truth that he had two armored regiments under his command and were about to head to Imphal.
Stilwell said with a smile, not surprised.
Because Stilwell had already learned from his friends at home that Ye Qingshan had once purchased tanks and armored vehicles from the US military.
Stilwell guessed that Ye Qingshan should have armored troops under his command.
But he didn't tell Alexander.
On the morning of the 28th, Ye Qingshan and Stilwell were still discussing how to make arrangements for the 200,000 British troops who had returned.
Suddenly, the colonel adjutant beside Stilwell walked in urgently.
"General, urgent message from MI6."
Said the US Army Colonel.
"explain."
Ye Qingshan also looked over.
"Last night, tens of thousands of Japanese troops from the 25th Army boarded a ship from Singapore."
The MI6 dispatch did not contain much.
However, after hearing this, Ye Qingshan and Stilwell couldn't help but look at each other.
"That old devil Yamashita Fengwen is here!"
Ye Qingshan immediately understood that the one who came to rescue the Japanese 15th Army this time was indeed this "Malay Tiger".
Ye Qingshan had considered this person two days ago, and he had the highest probability.
After all, at that time, the Japanese only had so many troops in Southeast Asia.
Among them, there are troops that can be freed up, and the number of troops cannot be too small, and the combat effectiveness must be strong.
That was the 25th Army in Yamashita Tomoyuki's hands at that time.
If it were any other Japanese army, their numbers would be too small and their combat effectiveness too weak to resolve the current predicament on the Burmese battlefield.
"Tell MI6 to find out the exact number and unit numbers of the Japanese 25th Army.
I need more detailed information."
Stilwell also realized the seriousness of the matter and spoke seriously.
"Yes!"
The adjutant left.
"Yamashita Tomoyuki, the 25th Army of the Japanese Army.
Now we are in trouble!"
Stilwell smiled bitterly.
Of course he knew about Yamashita Tomoyuki and the Japanese 25th Army under his command.
After all, not long ago, the old devil Yamashita Tomoyuki had just annihilated the main force of the British army in Singapore and forced all the British troops there to surrender.
It was also after that battle that the Japanese no longer posed a major threat in Southeast Asia.
Even the strength of the British Army and Expeditionary Force in Myanmar is weaker than the main force of the British Army in Singapore.
Under such circumstances, it was normal for Stilwell to be afraid of Yamashita Tomoyuki.
“The Japanese 25th Army came here by boat.
It will take at least three days.
We still have time to make arrangements.
If nothing unexpected happens, the Japanese will definitely land in the Rangoon area.
This time, if we want to wipe out the Japanese 15th Army, we must stop Yamashita Tomoyuki’s 25th Army.
In my opinion, the number of troops sent by the Japanese 25th Army this time will not be too many.
Forty to fifty thousand people is the limit.
Even if we count the traitors they brought with them, the number could not exceed 100,000.
Without seeking to defeat the enemy, the only purpose was to block the Japanese 25th Army and delay some time.
It should be fine.”
Ye Qingshan said this and looked at Stilwell.
Stilwell instantly understood what Ye Qingshan meant.
Ye Qingshan ordered the 200,000 British troops who had just entered Burma to go south to resist Yamashita Tomoyuki's 25th Army.
This is also true.
The expeditionary force was currently besieging the Japanese 15th Army and certainly couldn't spare any effort.
The only ones who could stop Yamashita Tomoyuki's 25th Army were the 200,000 British troops who had just entered Burma.
After a moment's silence, Stilwell looked at Ye Qingshan and asked, "How long will it take you to annihilate the Japanese 15th Army in Mandalay?"
Ye Qingshan thought for a moment and held up a finger: "One week.
If the Commander-in-Chief can only buy me a week.
I promise to destroy the Japanese 15th Army."
"A week?"
"it is good!
I'll buy you this week."
Stilwell also shouted excitedly, obviously having made up his mind.
He just couldn't believe that 200,000 well-equipped British troops could not stop the Japanese 25th Army for a week.
Then, Stilwell prepared to leave Ye Qingshan's headquarters and return to the British Army.
This time, he was personally responsible for commanding the 200,000 British troops to block Yamashita Tomoyuki's 25th Army.
"Commander-in-Chief, isn't it too dangerous for you to go there in person?"
Ye Qingshan persuaded.
Stilwell shook his head and said, "I must go there and command in person, otherwise Alexander will certainly disobey my orders."
“I can only leave you one artillery division, and I will take all the other British troops.
You have to annihilate the Japanese 15th Army within a week, and the pressure is no less than mine."
Ye Qingshan sent Stilwell to the gate of the military camp and said to Ye Qingshan.
(I came back late, so I posted both chapters together. Please give me some feedback!)