Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Chapter 499: Public reaction (Part ), the defeated British vanguard battalion (please subscribe)!
Xue Yue paused, and glanced at the generals. He lowered his voice a bit, his eyes full of complicated emotions: "I am not jealous of Chu Yunfei's military exploits. He can win battles, and I, Xue Yue, admire him.

I just, I just feel sorry for the hundreds of thousands of brothers in our Ninth War Zone.

We are here. Every war has been filled with blood and corpses, and with ammunition and food depleted.

If you give us some of those American weapons, I, Xue Yue, dare to say that in the next Changsha battle, I will make Ananwei kneel down and call me grandpa! "

Everyone sighed when they heard this.

They also knew that this was not Chu Yunfei's problem.

But the Americans have their own considerations.

They hoped that the expeditionary force could attract more Japanese troops in Southeast Asia or even launch a direct counterattack.

The domestic battlefield, which had previously received more attention, is now far less prioritized than the expeditionary force.

Xue Yue also sighed deeply at this time, his tone full of helplessness and injustice: "The expeditionary army is now popular with the Americans. With the Americans as their backers, they have all the equipment they want, and the war is going smoothly. Naturally, they are in great glory.

What about us?
We can only watch helplessly, hoping that one day the commander-in-chief will remember us 'stepchildren' and share some of the leftovers with us."

There was silence inside the headquarters again.

The generals lowered their heads helplessly.

They knew very well the pain and resentment in Xue Yue's heart, but they were speechless.

This is the exact situation today.

The scarcity of resources, the constraints of factions and the political entanglements between countries.

Even if it was Xue Yue, he was powerless.

If they were given sufficient weapons, equipment and supplies, they believed they would be able to win every battle!

"Commander Xue, you and Commander Chu are old friends. Perhaps you can try to break through from him and contact General Stilwell of the Joint Command."

Xue Yue waved his hand and said, "I have asked him for equipment before, and the Joint Command also called back and said that Stilwell believes that the battlefield in Burma is more important.

Some time ago they also captured some British tanks from the battlefield.

Just recently it was brought back to China for dismantling.

Now, the old man is not the only one who is optimistic about him, in addition to the relationship with the Song family.

The people in the Military Industry Department and the Resources Committee are also quite optimistic about the Expeditionary Force and our Ninth War Zone. We can’t afford to offend them!"

The current Northwest Manufacturing General Administration in the Second World War Zone can be said to be the pinnacle of national equipment.

It is the most quintessential part of the entire Northwest and the entire Shanxi Province.

Xue Yue originally looked down upon the shabby Jin-made Type 65 rifle, because he could usually get a Zhongzheng rifle.

Today's Northwest Manufacturing Bureau.

Due to industrial upgrading, the semi-automatic weapons produced are already of the highest quality in the country.

The caliber chosen is still 6.5mm imitation Type rifle.

This low-recoil rifle was more suitable for the Chinese people's physical condition at that time, and it could also alleviate the supply pressure in the Second World War zone.

In addition to American equipment, almost all the troops fighting in Shanxi have completed the corresponding replacement of equipment.

In other words, these troops in the Second World War Zone that were originally raised by their stepmothers have now become the de facto troops raised by their biological mothers.

However, Chiang Kai-shek's treasure, the Ninth War Zone, received full supply from the mountain city.

However, compared with the Northwest Manufacturing General Administration, it also has many shortcomings.

Xue Yue waved his hand feebly: "Forget it, forget it, let's not talk about this matter anymore. I will discuss the issue of weapons and equipment with the chairman again."
-
At this time, in Changsha City.

"Extra number! Extra number!"

Newsboys in blue cloth jackets, waving newspapers with ink still wet in their hands, ran through the streets shouting at the top of their lungs: "Great victory in Burma! Our expeditionary force annihilated tens of thousands of Japanese invaders!"

The headline of the newspaper was printed in the largest bold font, eye-catching and shocking: "Central Daily News" front page headline.

Guanghua Daily: Great victory in Burma! General Chu Yunfei commanded the expeditionary force to inflict heavy damage on the Japanese invaders, annihilating tens of thousands of enemies. Our army is pursuing them southward!

Subtitle: Good news! The expedition warriors won glory in a foreign land, defeated the Japanese pirates, and the war situation in Myanmar ushered in a major turning point!

Editorial of Ta Kung Pao: "On the strategic significance of the great victory in Burma and the glory of the national spirit!"

"Give me one! Give me one!"

"Little brother, here! I want three!"

People flocked to the newsboy, and copper coins and francs were handed over like a tide.

"No money, the editor-in-chief of today's newspaper said no money!"

"Everyone can take it and see it~!"

Those who could read couldn't wait to unfold the newspaper and read aloud every word, word by word, for fear of missing any details.

The illiterate people stretched their necks, pricked up their ears, listened attentively, their faces full of eagerness and desire.

"Captain Chu Yunfei made great plans and commanded with confidence. The soldiers of our Fifth Army, Sixth Army, New Eleventh Army, New Twelfth Army, New Thirteenth Army, and New Sixty-sixth Army fought bravely and risked their lives. The Japanese Eighteenth Division, Thirty-third Division, and Fifty-sixth Division suffered a devastating blow and fled in panic. Countless weapons and supplies were seized!"

When I heard those exciting words, especially "tens of thousands of enemies were annihilated" and "the Japanese invaders fled in a panic."

There is always thunderous cheers and applause from the crowd.

"Great! Great fight! That's the way we should fight! Let those Japanese slaves know that we Chinese are not easy to bully!"

A dock worker in a coarse cotton jacket waved his fists excitedly, his rough face flushed with excitement.

"Commander Chu Yunfei is truly the backbone of our Republic of China!"

"He is the modern-day Yue Wumu! With a general like him, there is no need to worry about the Japanese pirates not being destroyed!"

An old man with white hair was so excited that tears streamed down his face. He took out a handkerchief from his arms and wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes with trembling hands.

A little girl with pigtails pulled her father's clothes and asked curiously, "Dad, who is Commander Chu? Is he more powerful than Zhao Zilong in the story? Why have I never heard you mention him before?"

"Before, when we were in the Japanese war zone, the news was basically blocked by the damn Japanese."

Her father, an ordinary clerk, lifted his daughter up high, his eyes sparkling with pride: "Commander Chu, you are a great hero of our Republic of China!"

"He is even more powerful than Zhao Zilong! He will definitely be able to drive away the Japanese and protect us ordinary people!"

Gradually, the initial excitement and discussion began to converge into a powerful torrent.

I don’t know who was the first to take the lead in shouting slogans such as “Long live the Republic of China!” and “We must win the war of resistance!”

Soon, more and more people joined in, and slogans rose and fell, resounding through the sky.

People spontaneously poured into the streets, gathering from all directions, waving small national flags and holding makeshift banners that read: "Celebrate the great victory in Burma!", "General Chu Yunfei is mighty!", "Down with Japanese imperialism!".

The parade was getting longer and longer; workers, businessmen, students, housewives, white-haired elderly people, and even some children who had just got out of school, all spontaneously joined in this enthusiastic torrent.

The main streets of Changsha, Shancheng, Longcheng, Changzhi, Linfen, Hengyang and Xi'an were soon flooded with celebrating crowds.

People sang anti-Japanese war songs such as "March of the Volunteers" and "March of the Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China". The singing was majestic and passionate, full of desire for victory and longing for the future.

Some young students even climbed onto the roof of a truck parked on the roadside, waving flags and leading the crowd in shouting slogans.

The sound of firecrackers began to rang out in every corner of the city, crackling and endless, as if celebrating a grand festival.

The shops that had been closed for days due to Japanese bombings now opened their doors one after another. The owners and shop assistants joined the parade or stood at the door, waving to the marching crowd with smiles on their faces.

In the teahouse, storytellers immediately composed new skits, interpreting Chu Yunfei's "heroic deeds" in commanding the war in Burma in a miraculous way, which drew rounds of applause.

In the theater, plays promoting patriotism such as "Mulan Joins the Army" and "The Mother-in-law Embroiders a Letter" were urgently performed.

Although the fighting on the front lines was still fierce, life in the rear was still difficult, supplies were still scarce, and Japanese planes would still come to harass us from time to time.

But Myanmar's glorious victory, like a powerful spiritual force, has been injected into the hearts of every Chinese.

It made them temporarily forget hunger and hardship, fear and sadness.

It made the Chinese people, who had experienced the great bombing of the mountain city and continuous failures, more convinced.

As long as everyone is united and determined, we can persist in the war of resistance.

We will surely be able to defeat the Japanese invaders and usher in the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.——
On the Siamese border, in the dense primeval rain forest, a small Japanese army unit, ragged and haggard, was trudging along the muddy and slippery path, one step deep and one step shallow.

They were the remnants of the 18th Division who had just fled from the battlefield in Burma.

Days of heavy rain and the frenzied pursuit by the British and Burmese troops had completely deprived them of their organization and exhausted their last bit of physical strength and will.

Sergeant Kenta Kobayashi limped along at the end of the team, carrying a Type 38 rifle with a broken stock on his back.

His military uniform had long been soaked by rain, mud, and blood, becoming wet and heavy, sticking tightly to his body and emitting a disgusting stench.

His stomach was growling with hunger. He hadn't had any decent food for two days and could only rely on rainwater and the occasional wild fruits he found to fill his stomach.

"Sergeant, how long will it take us to reach the assembly point in Siam?"

An equally young soldier next to him asked in a weak voice with cracked lips.

Kenta Kobayashi glanced blankly at the endless rainforest around him and shook his head bitterly: "I don't know either. Maybe, maybe we will never get out of this damn jungle..."

A week ago, they were members of the Imperial Army's invincible "Ever-Victorious Division". With the fanatical belief of "punishing the brutal Chinese" and "establishing the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere", they launched a desperate attack.

However, what awaited them was one nightmare after another.

The commander named Chu Yunfei used his elusive tactics and accurate and deadly artillery fire to smash their proud offensives time and time again.

They are proud of the 18th Division, the "King of Jungle Warfare".

In front of him, the army was beaten to pieces and completely routed.

Even the British, whom they had always looked down upon, now dared to chase after them!
"The Chinese army is so terrible!" another soldier muttered to himself, his eyes full of fear. "Their artillery fire is like it has eyes. Our warriors fell down in groups and we couldn't rush forward at all."

"And those American armored units! They are simply the devil! Our bullets hit them, and not even a white dot is left! But once they open fire, our position is finished!"

"We didn't receive any relevant intelligence at all. When they assembled their armored forces, our regiment was completely unprepared for anti-armor operations!"

Despair and fear spread like a plague among these defeated soldiers.

They no longer have the arrogance and fanaticism of the past, and are left with only the fear of death and the desire to survive.

They didn't even dare to light a fire to keep warm or speak loudly, for fear of being discovered by the British troops who were chasing them like hounds.

"Can we, can we still return to Japan alive?" The young soldier who asked the question first had tears in his voice.

Kobayashi Kenta remained silent.

He thought of his parents, wife and children far away in his hometown, the passionate speech given by the squadron leader before departure, and his comrades who died on the battlefield.

A huge feeling of sadness and powerlessness instantly engulfed him.

He didn't know what this war was for, nor did he know why ordinary soldiers like them had to pay such a heavy price in this foreign land.

Just then, there was a slight commotion ahead.

A soldier in charge of reconnaissance came back, tumbling and crawling, with a look of fear and a hint of unbelievable joy on his face:

"Corporal! It seems that the frontier post of Siam is there! We may be saved!"

This sudden news was like grabbing a life-saving straw for this group of almost desperate Japanese remnants. They burst out with their last bit of strength and stumbled towards the direction that might mean hope of survival.

At the same time, Smith's unit of the British-Burmese 1st Division, which was ordered to pursue the remnants of the Japanese army, also followed.

Major General Smith, driven by General Alexander's "encouragement" and his own desire to achieve success, ignored Chu Yunfei's advice to "pursue briefly and not go too deep."

Commanding his hastily assembled troops, he pursued the enemy "bravely" all the way.

In their view, these crippled Japanese troops were like frightened birds and could not withstand a single blow.

Smith had even begun to fantasize that he would lead the British-Burmese 1st Division to completely annihilate the remnants of the Japanese army on the Siamese border and save some face for the British Empire on the battlefield in Burma.

When they chased to the Thai-Myanmar border and saw the Japanese troops fleeing in panic.

The commander of the infantry battalion, Walter Jefferson, was so proud that he shouted: "Soldiers! The remnants of the pigs are right in front of us!
Go ahead! Destroy them!

It's time to perform feats for Her Majesty the Queen!"

The soldiers of the vanguard battalion of the 1st British Burmese Division, led by their officers, also rushed forward shouting, trying to take this "easy-to-grab" military achievement into their pockets.

however.

They didn't know that the Japanese defense line had already been set up on the other side of the seemingly peaceful Siamese border.

When the pursuing British troops crossed the crude boundary marker and entered Siam less than a kilometer away in a triumphant manner,...

Suddenly, in the dense forest on the Siamese border side, there was a sound of gunfire far more violent than the Enfield rifles and Bren light machine guns in their hands!
A small unit of the Japanese mixed brigade stationed on the Siamese border. Although they were small in number, perhaps only had the strength of a reinforced squadron, they were well-equipped, well-rested, and occupied advantageous terrain.

Many of these Japanese soldiers were veterans drawn from the Kwantung Army and the China Expeditionary Army. Their combat experience and ferocity were far beyond what could be compared to the hastily assembled soldiers of the British-Burma 1st Division.

“Da da da da da—!”

Several Type 92 heavy machine guns simultaneously spewed out flames from hidden fortifications, forming a cross-fire network that instantly swept down the British soldiers in the front.

"Boom! Boom!"

The Japanese army's grenade launchers and Type 92 infantry guns also began to show their power. The shells landed accurately in the British army's ranks, causing clouds of dust and blood to fly everywhere.

This small unit of the Japanese mixed brigade, relying on its geographical advantages and firepower advantages, easily caught the pursuing British troops off guard.

Walter Jefferson and his British officers and soldiers had never expected that they would encounter such stubborn resistance in Siam.

They thought it was just an easy chase, but they didn't expect to run into the Japanese army's iron defense line.

"Hide! Hide quickly! Organize a counterattack!"

Walter Jefferson shouted in panic, but his orders seemed powerless under the fierce fire suppression of the Japanese army.

The soldiers of the British Burmese 1st Division were thrown into chaos in an instant after suffering a sudden attack.

They lacked rigorous training and practical experience, and at this moment they were running around like headless flies. Some tried to find cover, while others subconsciously fled backwards.

The so-called counterattack was nothing more than sporadic and chaotic gunfire, which could not pose any threat to these Japanese devils.

The battle lasted less than half an hour before the pursuing British troops were completely defeated by this small mixed brigade of the Japanese army.

Major General Smith received news that his men were defeated by the Japanese army and suffered heavy casualties.

He immediately looked as pale as death and stopped the subsequent pursuit.

They were originally a lightly armed force, and continuing to fight the Japanese at this time was actually no different from suicide.

Now he finally understood that Chu Yunfei's warning was not groundless.

Even after the Japanese army's defeat, its remaining strength and deployment in the territory of its "allies" should not be underestimated.

He paid a heavy price for his recklessness and underestimation of the enemy.

The remnants of the Japanese army who had just fled into Siam heard fierce gunfire behind them and saw the British troops pursuing them being beaten and fled in a panic by their own friendly forces.

He was stunned at first, then burst into ecstasy at surviving the disaster.

They knew they were safe for the time being.

The unclear national border seemed like an invisible barrier at this moment, separating them from the hellish battlefield behind them.

Kenta Kobayashi and several other remnants of the Japanese army were taken to a temporary camp of the Japanese army on the Siamese border by a Japanese sergeant who looked tired but had a relatively neat appearance.

The camp was built on the mountainside and was not large in scale, but it was obvious that it had been carefully camouflaged.

The tents were set up under the dense tree canopy, with simple communication trenches and foxholes dug around them. Machine gun firing points were also set up at several key passes, with the black muzzles pointing vigilantly in the direction of Myanmar.

The humidity in the rainforest seems to be able to squeeze out water, mixed with the smell of soil and rotten leaves, still lingering at the tip of the nose.

But for Kenta Kobayashi and his companions who survived the disaster, this familiar smell lacked the suffocating feeling of death and oppression they had experienced on the battlefield in Burma.

Gradually, the air was filled with the smell of campfire smoke and the aroma of food.

This was in stark contrast to the days of hunger and constant fear on the battlefield in Burma.

Drinking hot rice porridge and wrapped in dry blankets, they felt as if they had returned to the world from hell.

The warmth of the rice porridge soothed their cold stomachs, dispelling the hunger and coldness of days past.

The dry blanket isolates the humidity of the rainforest and brings long-lost warmth and comfort.

Kenta Kobayashi drank the rice porridge greedily, feeling the warmth flowing through his limbs and almost crying.

He still remembered that just a few hours ago, he was still struggling in the cold mud and water, thinking that he would stay in that foreign land forever like his fallen comrades.

But when they recalled their experiences on the battlefield in Burma and their companions who fell forever in a foreign land, their hearts were still filled with indescribable fear and sadness.

The tragic conditions of their colleagues who were covered by the expeditionary force's artillery fire and the positions crushed by US tanks were like nightmares that could not be erased from their minds.

Even in the relative safety of Siam, they could not completely escape the fear that sank into their bones.

A moment later, an officer of medium build with the rank of major, surrounded by a group of soldiers, quickly walked into the tent where the remaining soldiers were housed.

The major's name was Watanabe Nobuyuki. He was a combat staff officer of the mixed brigade responsible for the defense of this border area. He was also one of the actual commanders who had just commanded the troops to defeat the advancing British army.

He had a tough face and sharp eyes, and although his uniform was also stained with mud, his mental state was much better than those of the defeated soldiers.

"Soldiers." Major Watanabe's voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable majesty: "I am the brigade staff officer Watanabe Nobuyuki. You have worked hard.

Now, tell me, what is all this all about?

Why has the war situation in Myanmar become so deteriorating?
Why were the main forces of the 18th and 33rd Divisions beaten so badly by the Chinese Army? "

Kenta Kobayashi and several other remaining soldiers who could still speak struggled to stand up and salute, but were stopped by Major Watanabe.

"Sit down and talk." Major Watanabe's tone softened a little, but his eyes were still as sharp as a knife, full of doubt.

An older sergeant with a higher rank spoke first, and in a hoarse voice he described the disastrous defeat they had suffered in the direction of Mindang in a fragmentary manner.

He emphasized the expeditionary force's accurate and fierce artillery fire and the huge threat posed by the sudden appearance of American tanks.

Major Watanabe listened quietly, his brows furrowed deeper and deeper.

Although he had just repelled a vulnerable British army, he could clearly feel from the descriptions of these defeated soldiers that the expeditionary force they were facing head-on in Burma was not at all a match for those British colonial troops.

"Major, please forgive me for being blunt. The enemy's offensive was so swift that we didn't have time to warn them when we were retreating. Many squadrons were dispersed by the pursuing troops and were stranded in the jungle. They are the most elite warriors of our Great Japanese brother country. If we can find them, it will also be helpful for the Greater East Asia Holy War."

Major Watanabe nodded slightly, and once again looked at Kenta Kobayashi and the others, his tone becoming serious: "You guys stay here to rest for the time being, there will be arrangements later.

The information you provide is very important.

However, from now on, no one is allowed to leave the camp without my permission, and no one is allowed to disclose any information about the war in Burma to the outside world. Violators will be subject to military law!"

(End of this chapter)