At the same time, in front of the armored brigade were the Japanese 67th Regiment and the 163rd Regiment. In order to ensure speed, they abandoned most of their baggage and only carried necessary supplies. They even used bicycles as transport vehicles. Guns, ammunition, equipment, or disassembled mortars and mountain cannon accessories are all hung on the frame. Together with some motorized infantry and small light trucks, it is like a mechanized rapid reaction force...
Oh no... It should be said that it is a semi-mechanized and semi-human force... the kind that can run 30 kilometers with two kilograms of rice. Such a weird tactical idea can only be imagined by the Japanese with their unique brain circuits.
Yamashita Fengwen had two preparations. One was the result of the Taunggyi battlefield, and the other was his intention to repeat his old tricks and regain his reputation as the "Malay Tiger".
He had mobilized a large number of bicycles from Malaysia and Siam in advance, starting from the west coast of Mandalay and heading north through the Kyaukse Plain. He would use their speed to penetrate behind enemy lines and attack the Chinese rear. If successful, Mandalay would The Chinese on the defense line will definitely have high military morale, and then it will be a good opportunity to counterattack.
"Ding ding... bang dong... bang dong..."
The marching team kept making sounds like the collision of steel. The cold steel rings were in direct contact with the hard ground. Coupled with the frame without any shock absorption, you can imagine the feeling on the buttocks.
However, the Japanese soldiers, who were accustomed to hard work, were able to accept it. The large plains west of Mandalay were very suitable for wheel marches. The two regiments, with more than 6,000 people and more than 8,000 bicycles, advanced northward at an astonishing speed.
Although the process was a little uncomfortable, this novel way of marching was faster than running in two teams. It only took them 5 days to get here from Mandalay. It would have cost at least twice as much if they took the India-Myanmar Highway. time.
Two sidecar motorcycles in the team stopped on the side of the road, and a colonel and a lieutenant got off respectively.
"Sasaki-kun, we will reach the Minjin Mountains in about twenty kilometers, so you don't have to be so worried then." Lieutenant Colonel walked forward and said with a smile, as if he was relieved in his words.
"Well, that's it, we're finally here."
The colonel felt the same way. They set out from Mandalay a week ago. During this period, they could only stop and go in order to avoid aerial reconnaissance. Most of the soldiers used weeds and branches to make camouflage. As soon as they heard any movement in the sky, they would immediately stop. They lay motionless on the ground. After several days of sleeping in the open air, everyone looked like a group of savages.
Although the bright plains are convenient for marching, there are no hidden terrains. If a fighter plane passes by from the sky, it will not be easily discovered.
Fortunately, the most dangerous journey has been passed. Ahead is the Minjin Mountains and the large rainforest in northern Myanmar. As long as we can enter them, we no longer have to worry about aerial reconnaissance. When the time comes, the troops will go all the way north to attack Lashio, which will definitely disturb him. Everything is turned upside down!
Thinking of this, Sasaki was in a good mood and waved his hand as if to say: "Haha... Thank you for your hard work, Suzuki-san. Let the soldiers rest and prepare first. We will move forward after we are full and full."
"Hey! Your Excellency is so polite." Suzuki bowed his head slightly and said respectfully. Although everyone is a captain, he is still lower in terms of seniority.
The teams of nearly 6,000 people from the two regiments stopped to rest. During this period, the squadron in front also sent out sentries to explore the way. However, everyone was exhausted and wanted to sit down immediately to relieve their stiff legs. How many people had the energy to do so? That boring exploratory mission.
All this was seen by the armored brigade scouts hiding in the bushes in the distance, and they reported the situation back immediately.
······
"I'm so tired! My legs can't stand it anymore."
Japanese soldier Takeshiro threw his bicycle on the ground and fell straight to the ground regardless of the surprised eyes of his companions.
Both calves were twitching slightly, and there were constant soreness in the buttocks. The conditions of the Japanese soldiers around him were almost the same. They were all caused by riding this bicycle with only steel rims for a long time.
"Kusuoyaluo! You brat, do you think you look like this? Be careful when the captain sees you and slaps you a few times." The older sergeant came over and kicked him, then cursed with hatred.
The two of them were from the same hometown, and they knew each other before joining the army, so he just reminded them, otherwise other soldiers would have picked them up and dealt with them.
After hearing this, Takeshiro reluctantly got up and sat down, but he was still muttering: "Then we can't let us die of exhaustion on the bicycle. After a day's journey..."
"Shut up! Sit down and stop talking nonsense. Let's take a break before going to the front to take a look. Don't forget what we came out for."
The sergeant interrupted him unceremoniously and glanced around with cold eyes. The soldiers who were lying crookedly beside him quickly sat up straight.
I'm still complaining, and I don't know what time it is. It's quite terrifying to deal with such sharp-headed soldiers in the Japanese army. These new recruits are unruly. How could the former soldiers be so unruly? rule.
After being reprimanded by Big Brother, Takeshita Hiroshi didn't dare to say anything more. Apparently he had been punished by his superiors many times before for certain things.
The hot sun was shining in the sky, scorching the earth and making the people below sweat. Takeshita Shiro's team was actually sent out to perform an exploratory mission, but the soldiers could not stand the fatigue of the past few days, and most of them were already hiding in the shade of the trees. After resting, only a few people were left barely standing guard.
Buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz clack cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck...
The Japanese soldiers were happily enjoying their hard-won leisure time. Suddenly, a strange sound came from directly in front of them.
It sounded like a stone grinding the ground, or like a hammering sound made by the collision of steel and steel. It sounded very strange, just like the sound made by their large army of bicycles and motorcycles mixed together. . Most of the Japanese soldiers looked in that direction curiously. Since they were still far away, they didn't react for a while.
"This is···?"
"Are they from the transportation brigade? How could they go in that direction?"
····
"No! Everyone is on alert!"
The sound became louder and louder from far to near. Experienced veterans could already tell that this was some kind of transportation team. It was clearly the sound of tank tracks rubbing against the ground and engines.
At this moment, a few small black spots suddenly appeared on the hillside a few hundred meters away. More than a dozen Sherman tanks slowly crossed the hillside. The thick 75mm gun barrels were glowing in the sun, but this situation This scene made the Japanese soldiers present feel heartbroken.
"Enemy attack!"
"Chinese tanks!!"
boom!
boom!
boom!
The tank convoy opened fire first, with noisy shouts accompanied by the roar of the cannon. The shells hit the Japanese squad hard. In an instant, the barrage covered a large area in front of them, and the smoke filled the air with flying sand and rocks.
"What the hell! What happened? Any other girl can hit you more accurately than you!" Hong Mu roared with a walkie-talkie in one of the tanks.
Since the artillery fire was on the move, the accuracy was a bit embarrassing. A dozen shells only took away a few people, but it also frightened the Japanese soldiers in the reconnaissance team. The remaining little Japanese soldiers all turned around in fear. run.
"The tank convoy continues to advance at full speed. All machine gunners, give me a hard beating."
After Hong Mu finished speaking, he was the first to get out of the turret, straightened the M2 heavy machine gun in front of him, loaded the gun in one go, and pulled the trigger without hesitation...
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