Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Chapter 500 Strategy (Subscription Request)

After sending away these defeated soldiers.

Major Watanabe immediately summoned the captain of the engineering squadron responsible for the construction of fortifications and several commanders of key positions.

He pointed to the Siamese border topographic map hanging in the temporary headquarters and said to everyone: "Gentlemen, from the descriptions of those defeated soldiers just now, we must clearly realize that our opponents in Burma are far more powerful and cunning than we imagined.

We must prepare for the worst, which is that after the Chinese Expeditionary Force completely defeats our main force in Burma, it is very likely that they will turn their troops towards us!"

"Therefore, the construction of our defensive fortifications must be accelerated immediately and targeted."

"First, we must strengthen the digging of reverse slope fortifications and tunnel fortifications. The Chinese army's artillery fire is accurate and fierce, and traditional ground fortifications are difficult to resist. We must hide our main forces and firepower points in reverse slopes and solid tunnels as much as possible to reduce casualties caused by artillery fire."

“Second, build multi-layered and deep anti-tank positions.

Now that the Chinese army is equipped with American tanks, we must have effective countermeasures.

Order all troops to immediately deploy anti-tank trenches, anti-tank cones, and anti-tank strongholds using natural obstacles on all roads and open areas where tanks may pass.

At the same time, we deployed the few Type 37 mountain guns and Type mm anti-tank guns we had in our hands to form a crossfire network.

“Third, the communication trenches between all positions must be connected, reinforced and deepened to ensure that the troops can quickly maneuver and hide under the cover of artillery fire.

At the same time, we must stockpile sufficient ammunition, food, and drinking water, and be prepared to hold out for a long time."

“Fourth, strengthen control and camouflage of commanding heights.

Concealed observation posts and sniper positions must be set up at all commanding heights overlooking our positions and the main passages within Siam to closely monitor the enemy's movements.

At the same time, all fortifications and troop deployments must be camouflaged at the highest level to avoid being detected by enemy aerial reconnaissance."

"Fifth, strengthen contact with the Siamese border guards. Although they are often just decorations, we can use the local terrain and customs to organize intelligence gathering and guerrilla harassment."

As Major Watanabe's orders were issued one by one, the atmosphere in the entire Japanese border camp suddenly became tense.

Under the scolding of the officers, the soldiers began to dig fortifications, carry sandbags and lay barbed wire day and night.

The engineering corps was busy laying mines and setting up roadblocks.

The artillerymen were also reselecting and strengthening their artillery positions and carefully calibrating their firing parameters.

at the same time.

After losing contact with the front-line troops, the Southern Army Command finally received a telegram from the Siamese border guards.

Terauchi Hisaichi immediately reported the situation to the Tokyo headquarters, and quickly gathered his troops and rebuilt the defense line.

All Japanese troops in Burma were quickly withdrawn to Siam.

The navy bombarded preset targets to prevent the pursuing troops from moving forward.

three days later.

Tokyo, Imperial Army Headquarters.

The atmosphere was as depressing as the sea before a storm.

Within three days.

Encrypted telegrams from the Southern Army Headquarters came in like snowflakes, each recording the frustrating defeat on the battlefield in Burma.

Army Prime Minister Hideki Tojo sat at the head of the conference table with a grim face.

Spread out in front of him was a huge map of the Burmese battlefield situation. On it, the red arrows representing the Imperial Army were retreating southwards at an alarming speed under the fierce counterattack of the expeditionary force.

"Gentlemen!" Tojo Hideki's voice was hoarse and low, full of suppressed anger: "I'm sure you all know how bad the situation in Burma has become!
Commander-in-Chief Terauchi Hisaichi's report stated that our 18th, 33rd and 56th divisions suffered heavy losses under the fierce counterattack of Chu Yunfei's Chinese Expeditionary Force and were unable to maintain the current front and were forced to move to the Mawlamyine line!

"Chu Yunfei! It's this Chu Yunfei again!" A senior staff officer of the Army Department said with gritted teeth, "This man has repeatedly ruined our plans from North China to Burma! If we don't get rid of him, the Imperial Japanese Army's 'holy war' in mainland China and Southeast Asia will probably never end in peace!"

The Navy representative, contrary to his usual behavior, did not gloat over the misfortune: "The brave soldiers of the Army are fighting hard with the Chinese Army in the jungles of Burma, and our Navy is also facing strong pressure from the Americans in the Pacific.

Now it seems that the headquarters' strategy of 'first south and then north', trying to force the Chongqing Nationalist Government to surrender by cutting off the Burma Road, does not seem to have achieved the expected effect. We lack crude oil from the Yenangyaung oil field. How should this war continue? "

"The Army's failure needs to be held fully responsible for the country's strategic failure!"

Tojo Hideki glared at the naval representative and snorted, "Now is not the time to pursue responsibility!
The most urgent task is to stabilize the situation in Burma, preserve our "special interests" in Siam, and minimize the losses as much as possible! "

He turned to the Army Chief of Staff Sugiyama Hajime and said, "Mr. Sugiyama, what do you think we should do now? Should we draw troops from the China Expeditionary Army or the Kwantung Army to reinforce the Southern Army?"

Sugiyama shook his head solemnly, "Your Excellency the Prime Minister, the Chinese Expeditionary Army is currently facing stubborn resistance from the Chinese Army on all battlefields. The manpower is already stretched to the limit, and it is difficult to withdraw more main forces to the south. As for the Kwantung Army, it must always be on guard against the Soviet Union in the north, and it must not be easily mobilized."

"Moreover," Sugiyama added, "Myanmar's rainy season has arrived, the terrain is complex, and logistics supply is extremely difficult.

Even if we send reinforcements now, I'm afraid it will be difficult to turn the tide of the war in the short term.

Moreover, under the command of Chu Yunfei, the morale of the Chinese Expeditionary Force is high, and with the material assistance from the United States, its combat effectiveness is no longer comparable to the past. "

The meeting room fell into silence.

Every senior Japanese army official present felt unprecedented pressure and frustration.

China, which they once thought they could easily conquer, is now like an awakened lion, dealing them heavy blows on every battlefield.

The defeat in the Burma battlefield further shook the foundation of their "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere".

Finally, Tojo Hideki took a deep breath and made a difficult decision: "Order! Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Army, Terauchi Hisaichi, adjust the combat strategy immediately!
In the Southeast Asian battlefield, temporarily switch to strategic defense!
With the existing forces and relying on favorable terrain, we will resist step by step, consume the manpower of the Chinese Expeditionary Force to the maximum extent and slow down its advance! We must ensure the security of the Siamese border!"

"At the same time," he emphasized, "given that Chu Yunfei poses a huge threat to our army, we order the Special High Section and the Southern Army Intelligence Department to take special measures to eliminate him at all costs."
-
Joint Command, North Yangon.

A telegram was handed to Chu Yunfei.

Your Excellency:

From June 5th to this morning, my humble division has been following Your Majesty's instructions to "use offense as defense and launch surprise attacks behind enemy lines."

The Yu Mindang area launched a fierce counterattack against the vanguard regiment of the Japanese 18th Division and subsequent reinforcements.

With the long-range and precise artillery support of your Excellency and the effective coordination of General Dai's headquarters of the 200th Division.

After several days of fierce fighting, the enemy in front of them has been completely defeated!

In this battle, more than 2,000 Japanese invaders were killed or wounded, and more than 300 were captured.

The preliminary list of seized items is as follows: six Type 92 infantry guns, seven various mountain guns and rapid-fire guns, more than eighty mortars and grenade launchers of various types, nearly two hundred light and heavy machine guns, more than three thousand rifles of various types, and a huge number of various types of guns and artillery shells (detailed list is reported separately).

In addition, 15 Japanese military trucks, more than 300 mules and horses, and a large amount of food, medicine and other military supplies were seized.

The commander of the 18th Division of the Japanese Army, Makoto Hase, was killed by our army, and the battalion commander, Major Yamaguchi, committed suicide by disembowelment.

At present, our troops are making every effort to clean up the battlefield, treat the wounded, collect prisoners, and actively repair the captured weapons and equipment in order to prepare for the next battle.

After this battle, the morale of all officers and soldiers of the newly formed 29th Division is high. They swear to be loyal to the Party and the country until death and follow Your Majesty to completely drive the Japanese invaders out of Burma!

I would like to ask for your advice on the next course of action for our department.

Zhang Lingfu knocked on the door.

He put the telegram in his hand aside.

Stilwell asked, "Chu, look!"

"The Japanese defense line is collapsing! The 18th Division, the 33rd Division, and even the 56th Division are fleeing southward!
That old fellow Terauchi Juichi must have been scared out of his wits!
We must seize this opportunity immediately and order all troops to pursue on all fronts!

Don't give them any breathing space! Drive them all into the sea to feed the fish in one fell swoop!"

Stilwell advised Chu Yunfei to launch a pursuit. He used red and blue pencils to draw an attack arrow on the map pointing directly to the Siamese border, and said with saliva flying: "We can let the Fifth Army and Yu's Thirteenth Army be the main force and crush them from the front! In addition, we have the First Army of the US Army deployed in Burma.

We can even get the British moving and put pressure on them from the other side!

Chu, believe me, as long as we go all out, we will be able to celebrate victory in Mangu within a month!"

Stilwell's eyes were shining with infinite longing for a glorious victory.

However, Chu Yunfei flatly rejected Stilwell's proposal.

The smile on his face had long since disappeared, replaced by an unusual calmness and solemnity.

He did not immediately refute Stilwell, but slowly walked to the huge battle sand table. On the sand table, although the blue flags representing the various units of the expeditionary force had advanced a lot, their formation also seemed somewhat scattered and thin due to continuous pursuit and fighting.

Chu Yunfei's voice was low and clear, without any emotional fluctuations: "Mr. Stilwell, I understand your feelings, and I also want to completely eliminate the Japanese invaders."

"But, with all due respect, the current situation of the expeditionary force is actually not optimistic."

"We are temporarily unable to launch a larger-scale pursuit operation deep into enemy territory."

The excitement on Stilwell's face froze. He looked at Chu Yunfei in disbelief: "Chu? What are you talking about? We just won an unprecedented victory!
The Japanese army is in low morale and is fleeing!
Isn't this the best time for us to expand our victory?"

Chu Yunfei did not answer directly, but turned to the combat staff and logistics director beside him and said in a deep voice: "Immediately summarize the casualties, ammunition consumption, and specific seized lists of all units of our expeditionary force (including the Fifth Army, the Sixth Army, the New Eleventh Army, the New Twelfth Army, the New Sixty-Sixth Army and other auxiliary forces) since the Mindang Battle!"

"Let General Stilwell see the most real and accurate data!"

"Yes!"

The staff officers immediately got busy.

Statistical reports from the front line were quickly sorted and summarized.

A moment later, a comprehensive battle report was placed in front of Chu Yunfei and Stilwell.

Chu Yunfei picked up the report and read it calmly: "In the pursuit and annihilation campaign in Mindang and surrounding areas, since the counterattack began on June 4, the preliminary statistics of the participating units of our expeditionary force are as follows:
Number of officers and soldiers killed in action: approximately 12,000.

Wounded officers and soldiers: more than 25,000 (including nearly 8,000 seriously injured who needed to be evacuated for treatment).

Weapon loss: Nearly 100 artillery pieces of various types were lost (some were damaged in battles, and some were lost during the rainy season and during transportation in complex terrain).

Thousands of light and heavy machine guns were lost, and the loss of rifles was difficult to accurately count.

Ammunition consumption: More than 100,000 artillery shells were consumed, and nearly 20 million bullets of various types were consumed.

Our army's existing ammunition reserves have dropped to a dangerous level, especially heavy artillery shells and anti-tank shells, which urgently need to be replenished.

Loss of vehicles and transport vehicles: Due to Japanese air raids, artillery fire, road damage, and muddy rainy seasons, our army lost nearly one-third of its trucks and other transport vehicles, and suffered heavy losses in mules and horses. It is estimated that 730 vehicles need to be repaired.

Every time a number was read out, Stilwell's face became uglier.

These cold figures, like a ruthless hammer, shattered his previous blind optimism and excitement.

Chu Yunfei put down the casualty and loss report and picked up the list of spoils: "Of course, our spoils are also very rich.

In addition to what Division Commander Zhang Lingfu had reported previously, each unit also made a number of gains during the subsequent pursuit.

A total of more than 20 Type 92 infantry guns, various mountain guns and rapid-fire guns were seized from the Japanese army.

There are nearly 200 mortars and grenade launchers of various types, more than 500 light and heavy machine guns, nearly 10,000 rifles of various types, and the number of various types of ammunition is still being counted.

There were also nearly 100 Japanese trucks (most of which needed repair), hundreds of mules and horses, and a large amount of food, clothing, medicine and other supplies.

The amount captured far exceeds the amount lost.

Not to mention that the combat troops basically chose to use domestic and American equipment.

The Japanese weapons were not actually included in the Expeditionary Force's equipment.

Chu Yunfei's tone suddenly changed and became unusually heavy, "We are facing the main force of the Japanese Southern Army. Although they suffered heavy losses in this battle, their organization is still intact and they have rich combat experience.

Moreover, its commander Terauchi Hisaichi has ordered the entire line to shift to strategic defense and use the complex terrain of the Myanmar-Thailand border to resist step by step.

And what about our army?"

He pointed to the casualty report: "Because of the crazy air raids by the Japanese army and the brutality of the subsequent battles, as well as the diseases and non-combat casualties brought by the rainy season, the actual effective combat troops of the main force of our expeditionary force have been lost by nearly one-third!

Many battalions and companies that had made outstanding combat achievements were even crippled and were in urgent need of rest and replenishment.

Our soldiers have been fighting for many days and are exhausted. They are already at the end of their strength!"

"More importantly," Chu Yunfei looked at the map again, "Although Yangon Port is in our hands, its repair work is far from complete, and sea transportation is still not smooth.

The country's war reserves have been exhausted and its transportation capacity has reached its limit.

We faced enormous difficulties in the subsequent replenishment of troops, supply of weapons and ammunition, and transportation of food and medicine.

Once our army goes deep into Siam, the battle line will be stretched and the logistics supply line will be even more vulnerable. If the Japanese army waits for us to tire out and launches a counterattack in Siam, our army will be in an extremely dangerous situation! "

Stilwell was surprised to find that behind the glorious victory, the casualties of the expeditionary force had reached such an alarming level that it was actually unable to continue launching a larger-scale attack on Siam.

He had previously only seen the victory and the defeat of the Japanese army in the battle reports, but ignored the huge price his side paid for it.

In addition, he had been away from the joint command for two days to receive Creighton Abrams, commander of the 1st Armored Regiment of the U.S. Army, so he actually didn't know much about the specific situation of the expeditionary force.

He opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but found that any rebuttal seemed pale and powerless.

What Chu Yunfei listed were all bloody realities.

Chu Yunfei looked at the silent Stilwell, and his tone was slightly slower, but still firm: "Don't chase the desperate enemy, the desperate soldiers must die.

Although Terauchi Hisaichi has temporarily retreated, he will never accept defeat and will definitely reorganize the defense line on the Siamese border and even set traps, waiting for us to fall into his trap.

What we need to do most now is not to blindly pursue them recklessly, but to consolidate the existing results, seize the time to rest the troops, replenish troops, repair the port of Yangon, open up the logistics lifeline, and at the same time, keep a close eye on the movements of the Japanese army and wait for a better opportunity. "

He walked to the sand table and firmly planted the blue flag representing the main force of the expeditionary force in the area north of the Mawlamyine line: "This is the end point of our counterattack.

Without absolute confidence and sufficient preparation, I will never let my brothers cross this line again!"

Stilwell looked at Chu Yunfei's unquestionable eyes, finally sighed and nodded: "Okay, Chu, you convinced me.

You are the battlefield commander and I respect your judgment.

I will immediately report to Washington the practical difficulties we face and urge them to increase their assistance and supplies to you as quickly as possible.

However, we must find a way to break the stalemate and defeat the Japanese army as soon as possible."

Chu Yunfei smiled and pointed to another battlefield on the map: "Maybe we can ask our British allies to think of a solution."

Stilwell followed Chu Yunfei's gaze and looked towards northern Myanmar.

That is the combat area of ​​the Burmese Independent Defense Army led by Aung San, and it is also Wu Ziqiang's biggest headache at the moment.
"You mean the current British-Burmese First Division?"

Chu Yunfei nodded slowly: "Theoretically, their command belongs to the joint command. If you are interested, I can convince the headquarters to let you command this unit independently to test the gaps in the Japanese defense line on the Siamese border."

"I prefer to solve the trouble in northern Myanmar first. The harassment by these locals has exhausted my subordinates, and several pursuits deep into the jungle have not had much effect."

"They are like flexible monkeys, which makes people extremely annoyed."

Stilwell was silent for a moment and then said bluntly: "I need to consult Washington. After all, this involves diplomatic considerations."

"Can."

(End of this chapter)