On March 29, 1942, Dai Anlan, commander of the 200th Division, issued a retreat order!
That night, gunfire continued throughout the night, and the two sides fought in the dark.
Before retreating, Dai Anlan ordered infantry commander Zheng Tingji to conduct a feint attack on the Japanese army.
"All the wounded must be taken away without leaving anything behind for the Japanese army."
This was the death order given by Dai Anlan before retreating.
And for the 200th Division:
Advance camp!
This was also proposed by Meng Shaoyuan before.
The environment can always bring out a person's potential to the greatest extent.
This Young Master Meng, who has been cowardly and afraid of death many times before, always shows his bloody spirit at the most critical moment!
No one in the advance camp complained.
For them, whether fighting or retreating, it is nothing more than fighting against little Japan!
Nothing!
However, Meng Shaoyuan was a little troubled.
These ten cigarette butts have to be smoked carefully.
When had Master Meng ever lived such a hard life?
"Sir, the main force of our 200th Division has begun to break out!"
"Got it, get ready to fight!" Meng Shaoyuan said lazily.
On the night of the 29th, the 200th Division of the Chinese Expeditionary Force began to break through!
The sound of gunfire was heard all night long.
This retreat can be described as perfect.
But before this perfection, Meng Shaoyuan spent a lot of energy.
In Tonggu, no matter any general on the Chinese and Japanese sides, no one knew the direction of the Tonggu defense war better than Meng Shaoyuan.
He clearly knew how long the defense battle with Tonggu would last and on which day he would retreat.
He had already arranged the retreat time and route in advance.
Therefore, when Dai Anlan issued the breakout order, the 200 Division was able to be targeted and calm.
In the future, Dai Anlan also commented on this in his secret report:
"In this battle with Tonggu, Meng Shaoyuan, the military commander, made proper arrangements and preparations, so that our 200 Division could successfully break through. Meng was of great service to our 200 Division and to the expeditionary force, and he has made great contributions to the country!"
Meng Shaoyuan was satisfied to hear such comments!
Under such careful arrangements, all the wounded of the 200th Division were transported out.
Even in Donggu, the 200 Division did not even leave a food burden for the Japanese army!
All night long the sound of gunfire did not cease for a minute.
Until now, the Japanese army still believes that the 200 Division continues to be determined to defend Tonggu!
After all, in the Japanese army's perception, they had just invaded Tonggu, and since the opponent was the Chinese army, fierce street fighting must be inevitable.
Even Takeuchi Hiroshi ordered officers at all levels to be prepared for a long battle and heavy casualties in Tonggu.
However, Takeuchi Hiroshi would never have imagined that the 200 Division had already prepared to retreat in advance!
Under Takeuchi Hiroshi's order, the Japanese attack became less ferocious.
After all, in the previous offensive and defensive battle of Tonggu, the 55th Division had already suffered huge casualties and the soldiers were exhausted. They also needed to repair and wait for the arrival of the main force of the 56th Division before they could occupy Tonggu in one fell swoop.
This created an absolutely favorable opportunity for the 200 Division to retreat!
4 am.
"Mr. Meng, Chief Zheng telegraphed that our feint attack mission has been completed, and the advance battalion will continue to contain the Japanese army. At 5 o'clock, the advance battalion will look for opportunities to break out, and the entire battalion will withdraw from Tonggu!"
"Call back, got it!"
Meng Shaoyuan looked around: "Brothers, please be smarter for another hour. Don't get fucking killed during the retreat."
"Don't worry, sir, we will follow you, we are confident!" Ding Wenrui replied cheerfully.
Fighting with Chief Meng makes me feel happy.
Although Chief Meng has shortcomings in commanding battles, he can always be one step ahead and prepare in advance.
Besides, fighting and commanding can be honed from battle after battle.
With a commander's mind, he will become an excellent military commander sooner or later.
Not only Ding Wenrui, but also the entire advance battalion shared the same thoughts.
On the 30th, with the retreat of the 200th Division Infantry Commander Zheng Tingjiu's feinting troops, the only remaining Chinese army left in Tonggu was Meng Shaoyuan's advance battalion who took the initiative to cut off the rear!
Meng Shaoyuan was not panicked at all.
This was originally the last line of defense he set for Tonggu.
All light and heavy firepower points and blasting points have been arranged.
What he wants is not a decisive battle with the Japanese army.
Instead, use as many as possible to buy more time for the breakout troops.
4:50.
According to the established plan, the advance battalion began to actively shrink.
"Everyone is here?"
"Everyone is here!"
Meng Shaoyuan took out the last cigarette butt, lit it, took a puff, and looked at the time.
5 o'clock sharp!
"Detonate!"
When this order was issued, the rumbling explosions, accompanied by the fire, instantly drowned Tonggu!
Behind them are a large number of trucks.
Those were all taken by Master Meng with a gun!
Just kidding, asking for a divorce does not mean asking for death!
What kind of person is Master Meng?
Always take advantage and never suffer losses.
There was no way he could bury himself and the advance battalion here without adequate preparation.
This is also a "miracle" that made people laugh and cry during the Tonggu breakout.
Most of the main force who broke out of the encirclement flew all the way on their feet. After arriving at the Xitang River, they deployed defenses and organized the crossing of the river.
But the advance battalion responsible for breaking up the rear was riding in a truck, calmly, and swaggering towards the main force!
Although the officers and soldiers of the Chinese army by the Xitang River were all ragged and unkempt, their morale was high and they were not depressed at all.
The 200th Division went deep alone. The Japanese army, which had an absolute advantage in equipment and strength, fought bloody battles in Tonggu for 12 days, killing and wounding more than 5,000 Japanese invaders at the cost of more than 2,000 national sacrifices.
This battle established China's reputation as an ace force and won praise from allied generals who despised China's resistance to the war.
The Japanese army lost troops and generals under Tonggu City, but all they got was an empty city.
This was the most disastrous defeat that the Japanese 55th Division suffered!
Even the battle history of the Japanese 55th Division praised the 200th Division: The Chinese army has always had a strong will to fight, especially the troops responsible for the containment mission, who still stood firm and resisted until the end.
The diary of a Japanese officer in the battle wrote: "Since the southern advance, the enemy has been invincible, and our army is invincible. Unexpectedly, we encountered a powerful enemy in the battle of Tonggu. Who is the powerful enemy? That is, the Chinese army with the emblem of the blue sky and white sun above its head!"
U.S. officials stated that the defense of Dong Kua (Tong Ku) was "the longest defensive operation sustained by all Burma defenses and earned the division and its commander great honor!"
In ancient times, the 200 Division displayed the majesty of the Chinese Expeditionary Force!
The 12-day Tonggu War finally ended with the Chinese army's active retreat.
The Japanese occupied an empty city, and the Chinese army retreated to Binwenna. The battle is not over yet. Both China and Japan can’t wait to release battle reports in their respective capitals, claiming that they have achieved a major victory.
The war has just begun!
