Nanyang 1931: From piglets to giants

Chapter 186: The Japanese elite troops are as fierce as wolves and tigers, and Tao Jun is stunned
"Hahahahaha, Mr. Zheng Yi, amazing, truly amazing. You truly deserve to be the most admired opponent in all of Japan. I only mentioned the attack on Pearl Harbor, and you actually guessed so quickly that we would attack simultaneously on land. Amazing, amazing."

As they were talking, Xiao Ye had already turned around and walked over with the good wine in his hand. Seeing the two people talking like this, he couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, holding the wine stupidly, a little confused.

Zheng Yi: "Why are you standing there? Open the wine."

Ono: "Ah? Is this wine still open...?"

Zheng Yi: "Open it. It's a good day, why not open it?"

"Hi."

Upon hearing this, Ono was momentarily intimidated by the courage of the two men in front of him. He quickly opened the wine and filled a glass for each of them, then took his apprentices to hurriedly prepare sushi for the two of them.

"Mr. Zheng, you are truly a hero. Knowing that Pearl Harbor and Pattani were both under attack, you still had the mind to enjoy delicious food and fine wine. I admire you, I admire you."

Zheng Yi was quite open-minded and said, "It's just like you asked me to notify Marshal Mai at this time. If I'm not mistaken, the war should start in just a few hours. Since I've already notified Tao Jun, there's nothing else I can do."

"I don't understand military affairs. Tao Jun and Wu Aihua have been in Pattani for at least half a year. They are both professional soldiers. Do you really want me, an outsider, to command them from thousands of miles away?
"We've been preparing for war for so long, and I've already done everything I can. Instead of worrying about the battles on the front lines and refraining from making comments, it's better to just ignore them altogether."

"I believe that the generals I deployed on the front lines will be able to make the best choice in the event of a battle. Even if we lose the battle, I believe that they will make a more correct choice than an amateur like me."

"So, what's the point in worrying? Why not have a couple of drinks and celebrate your attack on Pearl Harbor? Congratulations! Your navy has taken a huge step forward on the road to self-destruction."

"This is like you've nailed the final nail in your own coffin. Anyway, for this alone, we two brothers have to have a good drink. You're right, today is a good day."

Upon hearing this, Minai smiled bitterly.

Originally, he wanted to see Zheng Yi panic and make things difficult for him, but he didn't expect Zheng Yi to adjust himself so quickly.

"Hey~"

Mine sighed, then forced a smile and said, "This time, the attack on Pearl Harbor was commanded by my close friend and confidant, Commander Yamamoto. I bet you that our army will achieve an unprecedented victory. Believe it or not."

Unexpectedly, Zheng Yi actually laughed, and laughed quite happily. He picked up his glass and clinked it with him, saying, "Cheers, for your victory in this battle and the results of the battle. After all, the greater the results, the faster you will die."

Minai: "…………"

It’s so heartbreaking.

"Haha, whatever. Come on, Mr. Zheng, let's drink while we can. Cheers. I've already fucking retired anyway."

Immediately, he opened his heart and really started drinking with Zheng Yi in big gulps.

He laughed heartily and said with tears in his eyes, "That Yamamoto brat is really quite good. Starting today, our navy of the Empire of Japan will completely bid farewell to shallow-water warfare and march towards the deep sea, showing those British and Americans who look down on us that arrogance will come at a price! Hahahahaha."

Laughing and crying at the same time, like a madman.

The person responsible for the attack on Pearl Harbor was still Yamamoto, the good brother promoted by Mine.

In fact, sometimes I think that this pair of brothers are really interesting. They are both very romantic and tragic characters in the Chinese style.

He was clearly pro-American and knew better than anyone that going to war with the United States would mean complete destruction for Japan, and there was absolutely no chance of survival.

You know, after Yonai retired, Yamamoto was regarded as the biggest pro-American leader in Japan. Even the Imperial Way Faction wrote a book to kill traitors, which clearly stated that they wanted to kill him to punish the traitor.

Before the official outbreak of war between Japan and the United States, Mine had already stepped down because of his pro-American stance. The reason why he tried his best to keep Yamamoto as the commander of the Combined Fleet was to use his last bit of hope to maintain peace between Japan and the United States as much as possible.

As a result, it was Yamamoto who was pushed to the front line to fight against the United States.

Moreover, Yamamoto was very good and even exceeded the standard in completing the combat objectives.

When the battle comes and they are defeated and the reckoning comes, neither of them will be able to escape.

It seems that throughout history, only the political leaders in Showa Japan were so magical.

Ten minutes later, Li Lili came over, looking distressed, and said, "We've contacted Generals Tao Jun and Wu Aihua, but we haven't found Major General Bond. He's not in the Wanlun military defense zone. I don't know where he went. But General Tao said he's ready to seize command of the entire Wanlun, Pattani, and Songkhla regions."

Zheng Yi nodded and said, "Very good. I believe him and he won't let me down."

Li Lili: "But I still can't get in touch with Marshal Mai. He said he was on vacation. Admiral Stark was hungover last night. I can only get in touch with Admiral Hart and Major General Ling. It seems that the US military's combat system is in disarray."

Zheng Yi: "It doesn't matter. This is all expected. Those white people have been arrogant for too long. It's time to wake them up and tell them that they will get beaten in Asia."

As he spoke, he raised his glass and said to Minet, "In order to give the white people a good slap in the face, we two brothers must do it together."

Li Lili: “…………”

[Well, you two are just drinking like this, without even trying any snacks]

At this time in Pearl Harbor, tall and majestic battleships, as well as densely packed and almost countless cruisers and destroyers were quietly anchored on the sea.

All eight battleships are here, not one missing.

It’s a pity that the three aircraft carriers are not there.

The entire Pearl Harbor was completely undefended. Previously, because the pilots complained that the daily patrol missions were too tiring, the understanding Admiral Kimmel approved the pilots to have Sundays off.

It is hard to imagine what kind of brain circuit came up with this order, so on this Sunday, Japanese planes were able to fly unimpeded through Hawaii, which had no radar.

Although Pearl Harbor, as one of the four major fortresses, has 780 anti-aircraft guns, it was Sunday and even the pilots were on holiday, so it was naturally impossible for the artillery to stay at their posts. Moreover, due to the US military's lack of combat experience, the ammunition depots were far away from the designated locations.

Because it was Sunday, the ammunition depot was locked, and the custodian of the ammunition depot had gone out to play and could not be found at all.

This may be the sense of relaxation that is unique to Americans, or even to Westerners.

No matter what job you do, you must take a holiday when it is time to take a holiday. If you don't deal with work matters during the holiday, this may be called respecting human rights.

The Japanese pilots who had already flown over Pearl Harbor did not expect that their breakthrough would be so easy and effortless, and they did not encounter any obstacles at all.

Americans really have Sundays off.

Soon, the torpedo planes began to lower their altitude, the dive bombers flew to the upwind side, and the horizontal bombers came to the downwind side.

hum~
The torpedo plane formation dived first and began to bomb the target. Countless torpedoes, with beautiful splashes and dense bubbles, hit the side decks of the American battleships first.

When the horizontal bombers appeared at low altitude, Logan Zhongxiao was watching the flag-raising ceremony and enjoying the flag-raising team's performance of the national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner."

He suddenly heard the roar of a horizontal bomber and immediately frowned and cursed, "Fuck! Who is this bastard messing around on Sunday? Adjutant, write down his plane number. I'm going to punish this guy. He violated the route safety management regulations."

"Okay, let me take a look... Damn, I can't see the plane number clearly, eh? This plane looks weird. There seems to be a huge red dot on the fuselage. Oh~, it's the Japanese flag. It seems to have dropped a black object, it seems to be... Damn, this is a Japanese bomber!"

Just as he finished speaking, he heard a loud bang and the first bomb fell on the playground, followed by the second, the third, and the fourth.

Only after the bombs had fallen did the radio station sound a warning from the headquarters: "We have received reliable and accurate intelligence that the Japanese Air Force is about to attack the Pearl Harbor naval base. Please be prepared for defense. Please note that this is not a drill. Please note that this is not a drill!"

It was Sunday, and the efficiency of the US military was still relatively low. After Zheng Yi reported the news to them, the US military took about seven or eight minutes to confirm the information. Both the navy and the air force were skeptical about Zheng Yi's information.

They really couldn't believe that the Japanese had such courage.

After finally confirming it, they found the announcer and started the broadcast. By the time he started broadcasting, the bombs had already fallen from the sky.

When Mine told Zheng Yi, there were only ten minutes left before the bombing. Ten minutes meant nothing to the US military on Sunday.

One torpedo and bomb after another fell on the USS Arizona, USS Virginia, USS Maryland, and USS Ramapo at the base. One warship after another was completely unprepared and was sunk in the sea before it could even move.

The American soldiers in Pearl Harbor were running around like headless flies. Their anti-aircraft guns did not have time to fire, their warships did not have time to set sail, and their planes did not have time to take off.

Soon, the Japanese army discovered the location of the ammunition depot. Accompanied by bursts of roars, fierce flames and thick smoke invaded the entire Pearl Harbor, the entire Hawaii, and even the entire world.

………………

Almost at the same time as Pearl Harbor was attacked, the Japanese army had already assembled in northern Thailand and made an unreasonable request to Phraya Phahony to pass through Bangkok and take a train from Bangkok to the front line.

Phraya Phahon still wanted to argue, but the Japanese army's response was extremely tough. "It's just a matter of yes or no. If you don't agree, the Japanese army will formally attack Bangkok, first overthrow Thailand, and then dismantle the horse!"

Phraya Phahony had no choice but to agree in humiliation.

After the army boarded the train, the navy was also not idle. The troop transports set off from Hainan in a swaggering manner, without any intention of launching a surprise attack.
Long before Minet told Zheng Yi, British reconnaissance planes had actually noticed this fleet, but they were not sure whether the fleet's destination was Thailand.

To a certain extent, this fleet also served the purpose of distracting the attention of Britain and the United States and covering the Pearl Harbor attack.

However, it was different from history. The British army (Zheng Yi's men also belonged to the British army) had been preparing here for many years, and at least, the people of the Southern Alliance would definitely not celebrate Sundays. There was no sneak attack in this battle, it was a pure head-on confrontation.

In the Duolun area, the Siamese Legion and the British Army led by Wu Aihua and Bond had already fought against the Japanese army. The war became as brutal as hell almost as soon as it began.

This time, the Japanese were no longer just playing around, no longer fighting for Thailand, but were really serious, and the slogan of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere was also openly raised.

"Fighting to liberate 30 million Asians from the brutal rule of white people"

Even Phraya Phahon couldn't help but feel a little confused after seeing this slogan, because it was clear that the entire Southeast Asia was being taken over.

And it has to be said that this slogan is really inflammatory. Both internally and externally, there are actually quite a few people who believe that this is not a war of aggression, but a war of "rescue."

Many Thai soldiers were actually willing to actively cooperate with the Japanese army.

Due to the special terrain, the Duolun area is not suitable for large-scale troop operations, especially armored troop operations. Blocked by the Bintang Mountains, the Japanese army's large forces cannot be deployed at all. In fact, it is just a small narrow road.

The reason why the army was deployed here was to take advantage of the terrain which is easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Although the two additional divisions the British added to his army were drawn from battalions of volunteers stationed in India, Australia, and parts of Malaya, they lacked a complete divisional or even brigade-level organization, and their weapons were relatively inferior, mostly World War I equipment. However, positional defense, especially in this special terrain, did not require high command skills.

Although most of them were World War I weapons and there were no tanks, Zheng Yi, Bond, and Wu Aihua had deployed more than 800 mortars and howitzers and more than 700 heavy machine guns in the entire Duolun area.

The Japanese airports in Malaya and even Penang could actually provide support. After all, if the attack was purely land-based, even a brave army like Japan or a useless army like the British Indian Corps could still hold on by simply defending.

At least it would make it much more difficult for the Japanese army to attack.

Then, the landing navy becomes the top priority for whether the northern defense line can be defended.

Once the Japanese landed from the rear, it would be easy for them to turn positional warfare into a chaotic battle with the British. Moreover, it would be easy to cut off the rear supply.

The Chinese army composed of Tao Jun and a small number of Siamese Chaoshan gangs was naturally responsible for guarding the rear positions.

This is Zheng Yi’s real core strength, and it is also guarding the vital areas.

At this time, Tao Jun was standing on a watchtower on the top of the mountain, using a telescope to observe the Japanese army corps that was getting closer and closer and was already at the gates of the city.

"I heard from Mr. Bond that the Japanese forces in the Duolun area are currently only one division, with some Thai troops mixed in. However, their offensive is very fierce."

"Ah."

Tao Jun said with a look of relief, "Thanks to Mr. Zheng's foresight, I never thought Japan would actually dare to declare war on Britain and the United States at the same time. No, they are now declaring war on Britain, the United States, China, Russia, France and the Netherlands at the same time. Damn it, it's crazy."

"From a distance, the Japanese should have a total of six troop transport ships. I don't know if there are more behind them."

"Have you contacted the British Navy for help? The Gulf of Siam cannot do without the navy."

"We've already made contact. The British army replied, asking us to hold out for five hours. They will arrive within five hours and work with us to annihilate the invading enemy."

"Well, if it's five hours, it should be no problem. I personally deployed the defense positions in Pattani and Songkhla. I know everything. There's also this day."

Tao Jun raised his head slightly, looked at the overcast sky, felt the rustling sea breeze, and said, "The weather is favorable, and the timing is on my side. Not to mention five hours, even if it takes five days, I am confident that I can keep the Japanese army from getting even a step closer."

For a beach landing, the smaller the wind and waves, the better. Today's weather is windy and rough. In Tao Jun's opinion, this is definitely not a good time for a landing. The bumpy and shaking ships and troop transports will become their targets, and it is difficult for naval guns to aim at targets on land.

Not to mention the landing of troop ships.

Seeing that the Japanese army dared to insist on boarding the ship in such weather, Tao Jun couldn't help but calm down, and the expression on his face was quite mocking. With a click, Tao Jun took out a lighter and calmly lit a cigar for himself, intending to watch his soldiers defeat the bandits with a smile.

It feels like the enemy was wiped out in the midst of laughter and conversation.

Just when Tao Jun was ready to order his troops to fight back, he saw that the Japanese fleet suddenly split into three. Six troop transport ships, escorted by frigates, were divided into three groups of two.

"Split into three? Quick, send a reconnaissance plane to follow them. I need to know exactly where these three groups of warships have gone."

"Yes."

Soon, a reconnaissance plane arrived with a report: "Report, General, the Japanese troops are divided into three groups. Judging from their directions, one group should be heading to Pattani and the other to Songkhla."

"Ah."

Tao Jun nodded.

This is not surprising, because Pattani and Songkhla are indeed the most suitable areas for landing on the Malay Peninsula from the sea.

You should know that before the British sent reinforcements, they cooperated with Wu Aihua in the Southern Alliance, mainly defending Pattani and assisting in defending Songkhla.

Now that the British army has arrived, these two places are still guarded by them personally.

"It's all within expectations, Mr. Zheng has foresight. We are well prepared. Songkhla and Pattani have more than enough manpower and firepower to hold out until the British navy arrives. The British navy's tonnage and firepower are far greater than those of the Japanese. There's no need to worry."

"Weren't the troops divided into three groups? Where did the other group go?"

"Still waiting. Don't worry, General. Our reconnaissance plane has caught up."

"Ah."

Forty minutes passed.

"General, the Japanese army, the third group of the Japanese army, the third group of the Japanese army went to Kota Bharu."

"Kota Bharu? They actually want to land in Kota Bharu in such horrible weather?"

There must be something wrong when things are abnormal. The more Tao Jun thought about it, the more he felt that something was wrong. He immediately ordered the command center to be moved and all staff took a car to the Kota Bharu area further south.

Kota Bharu Port is further south of Songkhla and Pattani, and is already in Malaya. It is the capital of Kelantan, Malaya, and the city is two kilometers along the coastline.

Because it is the traditional border area between Malaya and Siam, the British army has traditional garrisons and ready-made positions here, including not only artillery positions and firing positions, but also an entire air brigade. It is the location of the British Air Force base in Malaya.

There are more than a hundred aircraft.

"They want to destroy our air force first?"

After much thought, Tao Jun could only come up with this one strategic goal.

Their air force operations also rely on the British Air Force to provide the nearest air force support.

More than a hundred planes are not too many, but not too few either. At least they are extremely useful in reconnaissance. Although Penang has planes, at most they can provide them with air support in large-scale air battles. It is impossible for them to be as timely as Kota Bharu.

Once they lose their air support, and if the Japanese still have aircraft carriers nearby, it will indeed be troublesome, and they may even be unilaterally bombed.

"Have the British troops in Kota Bharu been notified?"

"I've already informed you that the British Indian Army's 6000rd Division, th Brigade, will be responsible for defending Kota Bharu. It has nearly men."

"Ah."

Tao Jun nodded.

He really didn't put much effort into this area, because it was already Malaya, and not only did the British army already have garrisons there, but most importantly, the location there was not suitable for landing at all.

The port that can be used as a landing point is extremely narrow, and the entire coastline is cliff-like. The coast is an average of more than ten meters higher than the sea level, and the lowest place is only one meter.

Don't underestimate this mere one-meter height, it is basically a natural barrier.

However, when Tao Jun arrived in Kota Bharu and found a hill to observe, he discovered that the British army was already in a bitter battle and the vanguard of the Japanese army had already landed.

"How can this be?"

"General, Colonel Wright of the British Army is asking for help. Kota Bharu is under heavy attack from the Japanese."

"I've fucking seen it all!"

However, while the Japanese naval guns were exchanging fire with the shore guns, the big-bellied troop transport ship actually crashed straight into the coast without any fancy moves, and the soldiers on the ship were forcing a jump-style landing without any fire cover or heavy equipment.

In an environment of strong winds and high waves, the huge waves completely made the Japanese naval guns lose their accuracy, which Tao Jun believed was a disadvantage for beach landing.

However, due to the huge waves, the Japanese troop transport ships would naturally rise and fall with the waves.

When the weather is calm, the coastline is slightly higher than the sea. This is also the reason why, according to military common sense, this port is not suitable for landing operations.

However, now with the rise and fall of the waves, this mere height of a few meters has been eliminated by the waves.

The boat went up and down with the waves.

The Japanese soldiers jumped onto the shore while boarding the ship!

Apart from a life jacket, which I had no idea whether it would be useful in such strong winds and waves, there was no other protective equipment.

There is absolutely no heavy firepower.

There was no need for the British army to fight at all. With this method of landing, if ten people jumped on, at least two or three would fall directly off the cliff and die, or be swept away by the waves.

Once they reached the shore, they were met with the British army's crossfire, machine guns, artillery, and anti-aircraft gun fire.

Although it is not a key protection area, it is a British air force base after all, so basic protection is always provided.

Although the British Army's British Indian 3rd Division was not considered elite, it was mainly composed of Sikhs after all, and was at least the elite of the British Indian Corps.

With just a quick glance, Tao Jun could see how heavy the casualties of the Japanese army were. Because of the strong wind and waves, the ship's guns could not fire accurately at all. The Japanese army was completely using light infantry to resist heavy machine guns and howitzers, and it was just a pure brute force.

With such a crazy landing method, it would be considered a good thing if one or two out of ten Japanese soldiers could survive the fire network.

Tao Jun: "Crazy... Really crazy, the fucking Japanese army is crazy, such elite soldiers, are they using them as cannon fodder? What's the point of such a landing? Can we really break through..."

Before he finished collecting the explosives, Tao Jun saw with his own eyes a Japanese soldier who was screaming and rushing towards the British bunker without any regard for anything. He blocked the gun hole of the heavy machine gun inside with his body. His companion carried a bag of explosives and took advantage of the opportunity created by Tao Jun to throw the explosives in and destroy the heavy machine gun bunker.

Tao Jun: “…………”

[Crazy! The Japanese are all crazy! Is this the combat effectiveness of a Class A corps?]

My country, my former brothers, have you been fighting against such an enemy for so many years?

[Are these guys really...human? ]

(End of this chapter)