As of 11:00 on the 24th, the Ming army's military operations in the southern area of Uzang have been carried out for six full days.
On the 900-mile-long front, the more than 30,000 British Indian troops were stretched thin. They could only choose tactics or strategic points to deploy defenses.
Perhaps their calculations at the beginning were very shrewd, but the rapid progress of the battle situation has completely exceeded the expectations of most officers-now the Ming army has entered Indu territory, and the Assam region is in danger.
The British would not sit still and wait for death. The British-Indian Army Command immediately began to urgently adjust its deployment in an attempt to stabilize the front and implement a counterattack.
After dispatching the British-Indian 16th Infantry Brigade and the Bogra Regiment for immediate reinforcements, the 5th Royal Tank Battalion, which had arrived in Mumbai by sea a week ago, also approached the Assam region via rail transport.
At the theater headquarters in Calcutta, Major General Auchinleck, who had just arrived by plane, came straight out of the airport.
As the deputy chief of staff of the British-Indian Army Command, he came specifically to save the Assam region from the fire.
Facing a dozen officers in the hall, he raised his fist and said, "The current situation is very bad. Passive defense alone cannot stop the Chinese attack. We need a large-scale counterattack."
Lieutenant General Vidal, the commander present, had an expressionless face, "Counterattack? My army is just a piece of junk that has been pieced together here and there."
"Army" is a strategic unit. Many countries do not regard it as a fixed establishment. More often, it is actually like a temporary headquarters, which can be large or small. It may have several brigades and divisions under its jurisdiction, or it may have many brigades and divisions under its jurisdiction at the same time. infantry and armored divisions.
[For example, the 4th Army in history included the 17th, 20th, and 23rd British-Indian Infantry Divisions, the 254th Armored Brigade, and the 7th Royal Artillery Regiment. Later, the 5th Infantry Division and the 36th Infantry Division were added. 】
Major General Auchinleck picked up the baton and walked to the map with a steady pace. "Sir, the 16th Brigade, the Bogra Regiment, and the 5th Tank Battalion are already on the way. We just need some time to get them deployed."
"The Chinese have now invested two divisions, and there is also a motorized brigade on the way. I think it is God's favor that these 5,000 reinforcements can help stabilize the front." Lieutenant General Vidal said lightly.
"No, Your Excellency, we should try a more bold campaign deployment." Auchinleck opened his briefcase, took out a confidential document envelope, and then took out the plan drawn up by the headquarters.
The original idea of this counterattack plan was actually Auchinleck himself. It was planned to consist of the 16th British-Indian Infantry Brigade and the 5th Royal Tank Battalion as the main forces, attached to the 4th British-Indian Artillery Regiment, and a Gurkha Regiment. A task force.
They will take advantage of their own railway transportation's mobility to quickly deploy to the north, break through the flanks of the Ming army deep into Indu territory, cut off their retreat, and launch a beautiful protruding encirclement and annihilation campaign.
He stretched out his index finger and drew a circle on the map. "According to the current advancing speed of the Chinese, they will soon form a dangerous protrusion. If this trap works, we can at least eliminate one of their divisions."
"But according to intelligence, a brigade they will reinforce will soon join the battle and will arrive at Medog in about five days." A colonel reminded with doubts: "If this plan is followed, this task force will Will hit them head on."
Someone nearby immediately echoed, "Those are the Imperial Guards of the Chinese Emperor. I don't think a makeshift task force can resist them."
Auchinleck, who thought he knew Chinese history very well, smiled slightly and said: "Eighty years ago under the city of Nanjing, their imperial guards fled in all directions, and they could only rely on armed civilians and other troops to defend their capital. Such a ban The Guards is just a place for some noble descendants to have fun and gild, so how much of a threat can they pose now?"
His words actually made the atmosphere at the scene more relaxed, and several staff members also smiled heartily.
"Sir, I think this plan is feasible. The heavy rains in the past few days have been so abominable that our air force cannot provide effective support." A staff officer took out a report, "The weather forecast team estimates that there is a high probability in the next week. It will be sunny, and even if it is rainy it will be just light rain that will not affect the air raids.”
Lieutenant General Vidal was not in a hurry to express his attitude. The officers present discussed for a while and even conducted a simple sand table deduction.
What finally prompted the lieutenant general to make up his mind was actually a piece of secret intelligence - a team of his own agents attacked a bridge, and the mixed third brigade on the way would probably not be able to reach the battlefield in time.
His idea was about to be put into practice, and Auchinleck, feeling satisfied, left the headquarters and planned to go to the hotel where he was staying to have a good rest.
After arriving at the Elsa Hotel by car, they discovered that the place was already crowded with reporters holding umbrellas in the rain. There were at least dozens of reporters and their assistants as far as the eye could see.
Seeing the arrival of the general's motorcade, the reporters became even more excited. The crowd suddenly became commotion, and dozens of military police were struggling to maintain order.
A lieutenant walked up to the car and saluted: "For your safety, I suggest you take a detour and enter the hotel through the back door."
"No, hiding now is seen by the public as a coward escaping the truth." Auchinleck said as he opened the door and got out of the car.
The reporters became even more excited when they saw this. Some of them couldn't wait to raise their cameras, and the magnesium strips burned with white light one after another.
A tall male reporter stood on tiptoe and shouted: "General, how is the situation on the front line now? Are the Chinese still attacking?"
"Yes, they're still attacking," Auchinleck replied.
"Do you think this is an act of aggression?"
"They claim they are regaining territory, but we have always believed this was an illegal and brazen invasion."
"I'm Catherine, a reporter from The Times. How much are the losses on both sides?" A female reporter squeezed to the front, holding an umbrella high, and asked loudly.
"About a few thousand people."
"Does that mean the sum? Or theirs?"
Auchinleck shook his head, "I'm sorry, I can't reveal more."
"Hello general, this is Annika, a reporter from the Washington Post. Will the British and Indian troops actively respond next?"
"Certainly, we will do everything we can to defend the soil of the British Empire and we will win."
Auchinleck interacted with eager reporters for a full quarter of an hour before finally being allowed into the hotel.
This unknown-sounding major general is actually no ordinary person. At least in the history of another dimension, he was eventually promoted to marshal.
Auchinleck graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, participated in the First World War, and further studied at the Staff College in Quetta. He was known for his astuteness and innovation. In World War II, he performed well both offensively and defensively. Rommel believed that he was much stronger than Montgomery in name only and deserved respect.
It can be said that a storm is about to hit the Assam region.
