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Page 527
"Kill!" The soldiers of the Nanjing Army disguised as residents of Johor Bahru yelled, took the submachine guns hidden under their clothes, and violently shot the unsuspecting British soldiers around them. The British soldiers who were attacked screamed and fell on the blood In the pool of fog and blood, at the same time, signal flares whistled one after another, notifying the main force of the Nanjing Army on the other side of the strait that the long embankment had been taken, and they should pass through the embankment immediately before the British army launched a counterattack.
These Nanjing Army soldiers disguised as residents of Johor Bahru are basically armed personnel from the Golden Triangle. They are local Chinese and overseas Chinese, they can speak the local dialect, and they look similar to the locals. Seamless.
"Attack!" Huang Baitao was overjoyed when he saw the signal flare rising on the other side of the strait, and gave the order to attack.
A large number of Nanjing troops stepped on the long embankment of the Strait and rushed into Singapore continuously.
Chapter 611 Expedition to Central South (5)
Lieutenant General Arthur Percival was really flustered by successive defeats that were far beyond expectations.
Lieutenant General Percival is not a mediocre person. Although he is unremarkable in appearance and behavior, he has a strong character and extraordinary courage, but he is also somewhat indecisive, conservative and slow. If he is objectively judged, if he is asked to command a team He will fight well when fighting with an army that is superior in strength or that is almost as powerful as the enemy, but if he is asked to command a weak army and fight in a difficult situation, he will obviously be unable to do so.
The current battle of Malaya is undoubtedly a vicious battle that Lieutenant General Percival is unable to handle. First of all, from a geographical point of view, the Malayan peninsula is already a place of death. The north is Thailand controlled by China, and the south is controlled by Japan. In Indonesia, there are seas on the east and west sides, and the British army has lost control of the sea, making Lieutenant General Percival and his [-] men completely alone.
It should be said that Lieutenant General Percival was very unlucky. The arrival of the Far East Fleet had filled him with hope and confidence. As long as the Far East Fleet seized sea control, Malaya and India would be united at sea. It is possible to continuously reinforce Malaya, but never expected that the Far East Fleet would be wiped out all at once. Therefore, morale was hit hard. To make matters worse, not only the navy, but also the air force did not play a role. The British army only had two or three hundred aircraft in Malaya, and most of them were old-fashioned. In terms of quality, it is ten times that of the British army, and it has a stable advantage in quality. In just two days after the start of the war, the poor aircraft of the British army were completely wiped out by the Chinese Air Force and the Japanese Navy. There are too many Chinese and overseas Chinese, and the bombers of the Chinese Air Force have already bombed Malaya into scorched earth. It has to be said that Lieutenant General Percival really has no power to recover from the dire situation in the war.
"The Chitra line of defense was breached by the Chinese army!"
"Penang has fallen! The Chinese army has come to Kuala Lumpur!"
"The Chinese army landed near Johor Bahru! Johor Bahru fell!"
"Part of the Chinese army seized Changti in the Strait of Johor! Landed on Singapore Island! Breaking into the northern part of Singapore!"
Lieutenant General Percival was devastated and at a loss for one bad news after another. He could hardly believe his ears: How could the Chinese army be so fast?Although he admitted that his troops were indeed disappointing in terms of combat effectiveness and fighting spirit, he felt that the Malayan Peninsula was full of dense forests and mountains, and the rivers criss-crossed.
After carefully reading the report of the frontline troops, Lieutenant General Percival said bitterly: "The tropical jungle of Malaya betrayed us.
We thought that the tropical jungles were obstacles for the Chinese, but unexpectedly they became the helpers of the Chinese.
The Chinese army is pushing forward on bicycles in the tropical jungle, like a flock of birds under the clouds, we don't know their movements and deployment of troops at all, because the lush jungle blocks our sight!"
Facing the deteriorating situation, Lieutenant General Percival's lack of a calm head and rational thinking began to be exposed. At this time, he knew very well that his troops were indeed no match for the Chinese army. He had previously studied the Soviet Union seriously. War, the kind of barbaric and crazy way of war in which the two warring parties don't take human life seriously, kill people like hemp, and fight bloody corpses makes him shudder. In all fairness, neither he nor his troops can fight that kind of war. Fighting, because he is a British, not a Soviet with a special political system, nor a Chinese belonging to an oriental nation. His troops include the 18th Division of the British Army, 2 brigades of the British Malayan Army, and the 3rd Indian Army (under the jurisdiction of the 9th, 11th, and 17th divisions), the Australian 8th division, and some scattered battalion-level troops. In addition, in order to enrich the army before the war, young and middle-aged male British expatriates in Malaya were organized into reserve Soldiers, a total of more than [-] people.
Obviously, this complex army cannot complete its mission. Most of the elite main force of the British army is defending the homeland. Naturally, the troops sent to the colonies are second- and third-rate. Once they fail, they will be devastated immediately The constant reports of defeats on the front line made the negative emotions of the inevitable defeat contagious, permeating, and spreading within the British army like a plague, making the army's already very pessimistic combat effectiveness even more pessimistic. In addition, The residents of Singapore would not cooperate with the British army to defend the city, because three-quarters of the population in Singapore are overseas Chinese. How could the overseas Chinese cooperate with the British to resist the army from China?
Lieutenant General Anderson's suggestion of "fighting an urban offensive and defensive battle with the Chinese army in Kuala Lumpur" was not a problem at all, and it should be said to be very reasonable, so Lieutenant General Percival supported him. Doing so helped the Chinese army a lot. The 17th Division of the Nanjing Army suddenly landed in Johor Bahru, first captured Johor Bahru without bloodshed, and then rushed to the island of Singapore and broke into the northern part of Singapore, making the battle situation worse for the British army. After cleaning up, the 18th Division of the British Army, which was originally stationed in Singapore, has already gone to Kuala Lumpur, leaving only one brigade of Indian British troops, one British infantry regiment, several scattered infantry battalions and more than 18 British troops in Singapore. Soldiers, although ammunition and food are sufficient, but how can these miscellaneous troops beat a main division of the Nanjing Army?Lieutenant General Percival regretted it. He really felt desperate. He was in great pain. If the [-]th Division was not transferred and the causeway of the Strait was blown up in time, Singapore would be an isolated island, and it would definitely be easier to defend. But now, Chinese troops have broken into Singapore.
Desperate to despair, Lieutenant General Percival still tried his best to fulfill his duties. On the one hand, he mobilized troops to the north of the city to resist the Nanjing army that was pouring into the city. On the other hand, he personally inspected the battlefield in the north of the city and encouraged his subordinates. He said: "Whether it is killed or captured, I will be with you, and I will never abandon you. Please hold on. General Wavell's troops are about to attack the rear of the Chinese. We still have hope..." His These words really cheered up the panicked British army.
Subsequently, Lieutenant General Percival eagerly contacted General Wavell, the commander-in-chief of the Indian British Army, and reported to him the situation in Malaya and Singapore.
Admiral Wavell's life was not much better than that of Lieutenant General Percival. He was restless and worried. After receiving the telegram from Lieutenant General Percival, he was shocked and could hardly believe it: "It's only a week! Ma! How could the war situation in Laiya deteriorate to such an extent?" He was startled and angry, "How did Percival command it!"
Lieutenant General Percival stated in the telegram: "The Chinese army has advantages in all aspects, and the command of the sea and the air are on their side. The locals of Malaya also have hearts for them, especially those overseas Chinese. My troops train Insufficient and outdated weapons, I did make a mistake in command. Unexpectedly, they suddenly launched a landing in Johor Bahru while attacking Kuala Lumpur, and suddenly broke into Singapore. I have ordered the troops in the Malaya Peninsula to abandon Kuala Lumpur and other places and retreat southward. , Attack the Chinese army in southern Malaya, reduce the pressure on Singapore, and wait for an opportunity to break through the Chinese army's blocking line, fully withdraw into Singapore and start a staunch defense.
... "
Wavell suppressed his anger: "You know that the Chinese army can land at any point on the Malaya Peninsula, why do you deploy your troops so scattered? You should decisively abandon Kuala Lumpur, preserve your strength, and retreat to Singapore. An island fortified city, surrounded by water, strong fortifications, easy to defend and difficult to attack, why don't you take full advantage of this advantage? Now, Kuala Lumpur will definitely not be able to keep it, and Singapore is also in danger! Almost everything is lost! Why didn't you To think that the Chinese would outflank Kuala Lumpur and attack Singapore directly through Kuala Lumpur?"
Percival defended: "Because the Chinese army does not have a naval fleet to participate in the battle, I did not take this into account!"
Wavell was furious: "But don't the Japanese have a naval fleet? Aren't the Chinese and the Japanese one? You can't think of such a simple thing?"
Percival was depressed and angry. Although he felt deeply guilty and depressed for his improper command and inconsideration, he also felt that Wavell's accusation was unfair to him: "If it weren't for the Royal Navy's Far East Fleet So vulnerable, how could I have fallen to this point? Before this war, I repeatedly asked to send at least three divisions to Malaya and at least [-] new aircrafts. Troops sent to France ended up as German prisoners of war!"
Wavell tried to calm himself down: "What are you going to do now?"
Percival said: "The situation in Malaya cannot be reversed by the Malaya defenders alone. I need the Indian troops to launch an attack on Thailand immediately, disrupt the rear of the Chinese army, and contain as many Chinese troops as possible. So as to force the Chinese army to give up its continued attack on Malaya!"
Wavell replied: "This is already in our battle plan, and I will put it into action in a month's time!"
Percival: "A month? Impossible! I can't last as long as a month!"
Wavell: "How can you not be prepared for a war? Being fully prepared is the prerequisite for winning a war! I just need a month, is this very long? I didn't expect that you can't even take a month Give me!"
Percival could hear the sarcasm in Wavell's words, and he had to swallow his anger: "I'm sorry, my troops and I may only last for three more days!"
Wavell was shocked and angry again: "Three days? It's ridiculous!"
Percival said straight to the end: "Three days later, I have either given my life for Britain or I am already in a Chinese prisoner-of-war camp!"
Wavell was furious, but there was nothing he could do: "I know!"
Before the Battle of Malaya, the British army’s plan was as follows: Lieutenant General Percival would lead the Malaya British army to continue fighting in Malaya, killing the Chinese army as much as possible and delaying time. Admiral Wavell led the Indian British army to attack Thailand from India, causing the Chinese army to fall into chaos and defeat. The two British troops fought bravely and wiped out [-] to [-] Chinese troops, forcing the Chinese high-level officials to negotiate peace with the British at the negotiating table armistice.
However, the facts are: the British Far East Fleet was easily sent to the bottom of the sea by the Japanese navy at the very beginning. After the Chinese army attacked Malaya, it was invincible all the way. Persist for four to five months or even half a year, and those who are shorter can persist for two months." Unexpectedly, in just one week, the British army in Malaya fell into a complete collapse.
According to the British army plan, when Percival was fighting hard on the Malaya battlefield, Wavell was preparing for battle in India, waiting for Percival to fight inextricably with the Chinese army and let the Chinese army suffer casualties, slow progress, and a difficult situation At that time, Wavell was also fully prepared to attack Thailand on a large scale.
Wavell did not expect that Percival was "so incompetent" that he would not be able to hold on for a week, which made him completely unprepared.
Wavell originally planned to use 6 British divisions and 14 Indian divisions with more than 25 troops to attack Thailand, but the premise was to give him at least one and a half months of preparation time, but now, Percival only gave him three days. His combat readiness has dropped by at least [-]%.
Although he was full of dissatisfaction with Percival, Wavell would definitely not let him die, even if he was not ready at all, he would have to bite the bullet and dispatch troops.
India is the most important colony of the United Kingdom, and the British army has a large number of troops stationed here. However, the British army cannot be dispatched entirely, and even half of it is dangerous, because the British local troops stationed in India are not only for defense against foreign enemies, but also for " House thief", not only to defend against the enemy, but also to "maintain internal stability".
The India of the British was very unstable. As early as [-], an anti-British uprising broke out in India, in which one-tenth of the Indians participated and lasted for two full years. It is conceivable that at this time the For the British, India is no less than a big powder keg.
The most direct manifestation is: in India, the breech of the pistol of the Indian police is strictly stipulated by the British authorities that there can only be two bullets forever. The official explanation of this is: this is to prevent insufficiently trained policemen from accidentally injured civilians.
Compared with such an excuse that even ghosts cannot fool, what a certain governor of India said in private is more authentic and credible: "It is enough to give those Indians two bullets. When arresting criminals, they can use the first bullet. The gun is a warning, use the second shot to knock down the target! Don’t be fooled by those Indians, don’t look at them now as docile and honest as they worship, but we British like to kill them, cut them into slices and fry them But if you give them five bullets each, they will do the same thing in [-] and turn their guns on us!" Knowing this also understands how British colonial rule in India is. "Win the hearts of the people and be as solid as gold".
Under such circumstances, does Wavell dare to deploy even half of the British native troops in India to attack Thailand?If the [-] million Indians saw that the British army guarding them had been cut in half, it would be strange not to take the opportunity to "make trouble".
Maybe, the British army who drove from India to Thailand wanted to turn around and retreat after losing the battle, but found that they were "homeless" and the Indians behind them became enemies.
Although he holds an "army of millions", Wavell's situation is really difficult, and his thorny problem is not limited to this. The second big problem is: how many British troops and how many troops will he send? Indian army going to fight Thailand?This ratio is very "special".
One hundred thousand British troops, one hundred thousand Indian troops?Obviously, there are too few Indian troops. Those Indians who grab food with their right hand and wipe their ass with their left hand are originally cannon fodder for the noble and elegant British; 15 British troops, [-] Indian troops?Obviously, there are too many Indian troops. When the time comes to the battlefield, it will be difficult for the British army to suppress them.
Therefore, it will not work if there are fewer British troops and more Indian troops, and it will not work if there are more British troops and fewer Indian troops.
In desperation, Wavell had to dispatch troops in advance. Due to time constraints, he could only dispatch 2 British divisions and 5 Indian divisions with about 8 troops to attack Thailand. The equipment, ammunition, supplies, and training were very insufficient. Hurry up.
These troops have already entered Burma (Myanmar is part of British India at this time). They were training while waiting for follow-up troops and supplies to arrive, and were fully prepared to fight again, but now, Wavell bit the bullet and used them for offense Thailand.
Myanmar is also a country where Chinese and overseas Chinese have "infiltrated" all levels of society. The spies of the Maritime Bureau are naturally everywhere in Myanmar, and every move of the British army cannot escape the grasp of the Nanjing Army.
When the British army in Myanmar (including the British army and the Indian British army, and some officers and soldiers in the Indian British army were Burmese) moved towards the Thai-Myanmar border, the latest information was immediately sent to Wei Lihuang, In front of Luo Zhuoying and other generals.
"Insufficient preparation, hastily going into battle, internal discord, entering the territory of other countries to fight..." Luo Zhuoying laughed, "With all these disadvantages, the British army will definitely lose this battle!"
Wei Lihuang nodded: "According to reliable information, the British army is about 8, the British home army is about [-], and the Indian British army is about [-]. The combat effectiveness of the British army is just like that. Not to mention the combat effectiveness, it is impossible for the Indians to work hard for the British.
I'm sure that Wavell doesn't want to send troops at all, he's not a fool, he understands that his chances of success are extremely low, but Percival is about to fail in Malaya, so he has to send troops!"
Zhao Haijun said: "Seniors, with a mere [-] mobs, how can you use a butcher's knife to kill chickens? There is no need for our local army to participate in the war. The two chiefs can transfer all three divisions in Thailand to the Malayan battlefield and take down Malay sooner. Ya, as for the [-] native chickens and tile dogs, it is enough to hand them over to the Thai army.
Although the equipment of the Thai army does not have much advantage compared with the British and Indian troops, the Thai army is defending the country, has high morale, and has a local combat advantage, while the British and Indian troops are eccentric and have their own ghosts. The British army is comfortable and lazy, and the Indian army is also greedy for life and fear of death. The Thai army is more than enough to deal with them! "
Luo Zhuoying smiled and praised: "Well said!"
Wei Lihuang looked at the map on the wall: "Myanmar is also one of the targets of our Central South Expeditionary Force.
The [-] troops of the British and Indian Army are on the one hand to fight us, and on the other hand, they are also to defend against us and defend Myanmar. If our army can eat them all in one go, it is very hopeful that we can take advantage of the victory and pursue it, and even take Myanmar! "
Luo Zhuoying's eyes lit up immediately: "This idea is very bold. Do we have the strength to fight on two fronts?"
Wei Lihuang was confident: "Enough!"
Xiao Yisu, chief of staff of the expeditionary force, said: "I think it is unlikely that Wavell's [-] troops will go deep into Thailand. I am afraid that it will be difficult for our army to wait for work and close the door to fight dogs!"
Wei Lihuang looked at Xiao Yisu: "Tell me your opinion!"
Xiao Yisu said: "Wavell is not a fool. This man is a member of the British army. He is experienced and capable. He must be very clear that his [-] troops entering Thailand is tantamount to death. After all, Percival He was completely defeated by our army on the Malayan battlefield. He must be aware of the strength of our army and the weakness of the British army.
If Percival can fight very tenaciously, tenaciously, and beautifully, hold back the main force of our army, and delay for a long time, Wavell will have sufficient preparation time, and naturally he can lead at least 20 troops to attack Thailand, and even fight all the way to Bangkok , but unfortunately, he has no time to prepare well, and he also knows that our army can easily fight the British army even with one and three, so I judge that he will not send troops into the hinterland of Thailand!"
Wen Mingjian, deputy chief of staff of the expeditionary force, said: "According to Xiao Canzuo's judgment, I speculate that the British and Indian troops will only carry out harassing attacks on the Thai-Myanmar border, take advantage of the advantages, and return to Myanmar when the situation is not good.
Wavell is very likely to have prepared for the worst. He probably has acquiesced that Percival will definitely be defeated. At this time, sending troops at this time is not so much to contain our army and assist Percival, as it is to comfort Percival. London crossing.
After Malaya is over, India is next. Wavell needs to preserve his strength and defend India next.
If our army counterattacks the British and Indian troops, the British and Indian troops will definitely retreat into Burma, relying on Burma's local combat advantages to fight with our army and fight a defensive battle!"
"That's right!" Wei Lihuang nodded, looking at the map, "If we start a tug-of-war with the British and Indian troops on the Thai-Myanmar border or in Myanmar, although our army is not afraid, it will indeed be troublesome. The British and Indian troops will also reinforce the Burmese battlefield!"
Zeng Liwei said: "Sirs, why don't we take a drastic action on the British and Indian troops?"
Wei Lihuang snorted: "Tell me!"
Zeng Liwei pointed to the map of the Indochina Peninsula on the wall: "Sirs, the map of Myanmar is like a diamond. There are only two big cities in the country, one is Yangon in the south, and the other is Mandalay in the middle. The railway runs north-south, running through Mandalay and Yangon. There is no railway leading to India, and there are only a few two or three roads.
If our army does not send out at the Thai-Myanmar border, and fights a tug-of-war with the British and Indian troops, and lets the Thai army stand up to the British and Indian troops, we can even deliberately suffer a few defeats to lure the British and Indian troops to go deeper into Thailand. A main division, attacking from the northwest of Thailand, crossing mountains and wading through mountains and rivers, marched all the way to the northwest, secretly sneaked into central Myanmar, and captured Mandalay!So, wouldn't the British and Indian troops on the Thai-Myanmar border have no escape route?If our army goes all out to attack and kill, besides the annihilation of the British and Indian troops and collective surrender, do they have any other way out? "
The eyes of Wei Lihuang and Luo Zhuoying became hot: "How far is it from northwest Thailand to Mandalay?"
Zeng Liwei replied bluntly: "The straight-line distance is [-] kilometers, and the actual distance is more than [-] kilometers!"
"They're all primeval forests and mountains, right?"
"Well, they are all uninhabited virgin forests and endless mountains.
The natural environment is very dangerous, but because of this, the British never imagined that we would come from there to cross the river in white!"
Luo Zhuoying frowned and thought: "However, the 101st, 111th, and 123rd divisions of our army in Thailand are all in the south-central area of Thailand. They will go to the northwest of Thailand first, and then cross the forest and mountains. Maybe there is not enough time?"
Zeng Liwei smiled confidently and proudly: "Mr. Luo, have you forgotten where my brothers and I worked for the second son in the past few years? In the Golden Triangle! The Golden Triangle is northern Thailand, northeast Myanmar, and northwest Laos At the junction of the Golden Triangle! At this time, we still have 4 to 400 horses! They set off directly from the Golden Triangle, and Mandalay is more than [-] kilometers away!"
"Can they do it?" Luo Zhuoying was a little worried.
"No problem at all!" Zeng Liwei was very confident.
"Ammunition supply or something, we can let the Air Force transport fleet airdrop!" Wei Lihuang immediately followed Zeng Liwei's train of thought, his eyes brightened, "I will order the 101st Division to set off immediately, and wait for the Golden Triangle Force to take Mandalay. The 101st Division is already on the way, and when the time comes, join them and defend Mandalay together! Cut off the way for the British and Indian troops to escape back to India! The 111th Division and the 123rd Division are assembled at the Thai-Myanmar border. Go fight, and when the real thing is needed, they will attack with all their strength! At that time, the British and Indian troops will be defeated, and Myanmar will also become our bag!"
"Okay! It's a two-pronged approach to win both Malaya and Burma. It's wonderful!" Luo Zhuoying was very excited.
Wen Mingjian said: "But, it will take at least ten days and a half months, right? But Liao Yaoxiang and Feng Shengfa have already sent a telegram, claiming that they will be able to take Malaya in three to five days. When the entire army is wiped out, Wavell's [-] troops will also retreat in full?"
"No problem!" Xiao Yisu said, "Then let Liao Yaoxiang and Feng Shengfa put some water on the battlefield! Deliberately procrastinate and dawdle in fighting, even if the British army offered to surrender, they would not accept it and delay the war , so as to buy time for our Burmese war!"
"That's great!" Luo Zhuoying laughed, "Percival thought that his tenacious resistance had achieved results, and Wavell would also think that his troops fought well on the Thai-Myanmar border, but in fact, all of this is It's just our trap! The fruit is ripe, and we are not in a hurry to pick it, because we can pick more fruit if we wait patiently!"
"Well said!" Wei Lihuang also became excited, "I'll ask Second Young Master for instructions immediately.
Fighting Myanmar is not a trivial matter after all, if we just harass Myanmar, then we have the right to make our own decisions, but now we want to take Myanmar, we need to get approval from our superiors!"
Five minutes later, Jiang Weiguo simply approved: Agree.
Following Jiang Weiguo's order, the Sino-South war suddenly expanded, and the war spread from Malaya to Burma.
While approving the request of the Central South Expeditionary Force, Jiang Weiguo was meeting with Yamamoto 56.
Yamamoto's face was very bad: "The United States is trying to establish a military alliance with Australia and New Zealand, and at the same time, it is sending troops, weapons, and supplies to the Philippines with all its strength, including a large number of aircraft and a fleet, and it is very likely that it will send an aircraft carrier fleet.