"So, we have to hurry up."
Liao Mingyu stretched out his hand and let the raindrops fall on his palm. It was already the end of January, and there were about four months until the rainy season. If there was no progress by then, the only option would be to withdraw the troops.
Then again, the only expeditionary force currently going abroad is the 88th Army. It is nominally under the command of the Southeast Asia Theater Command, but in fact they only have a cooperative relationship with Stilwell, and everyone handles things with a mutually beneficial and win-win attitude. .
The latter wanted to win the commander-in-chief of the China Theater but had not succeeded. Of course, Chiang Kai-shek had to face many obstacles in the process. If Liao Mingyu had not overcome obstacles all the way in Burma, allowing him to have a certain say in the president's side, this would have happened. It is estimated that he has already prepared to go home.
However, the Chongqing government has almost no control over the 88th Army. Chiang Kai-shek never dreamed that Longfeng, one of the people he was so optimistic about at the beginning, would be a "white-eyed wolf" who took the troops abroad and never came back. He was really a new type of warlord. Doctrine...
Stilwell was also happy with this situation. On the surface, it looked more like he was dragging the troops away, leaving the old Chiang Kai-shek to glare at them from afar without any solution.
However, Liao Mingyu had no time to deal with the undercurrent of all this. He just led his troops south to wrestle in the bloody water with the Japanese, and by the way, he grew up in the cracks of power struggles between several elders.
"Why doesn't Jun Zuo let the 50th Division on the right detach part to support Bago? This can also reduce the pressure on the Third Division." Fang Jingyao suggested.
He also knew the current location of the two divisions on the right. After coming from Chiang Mai, they were all entrenched in the Kayin State area. The environment there with high mountains and forests was more complicated than that in Bago Province, and the Japanese army did not have high control there.
Now the main tasks of these two divisions are to repair and complete the logistics channels, and to control the junction of Karen State and Bago Province to curb the Japanese army from moving westward, and at the same time block Japanese support from Siam.
Due to the high mountains there, the 50th Division and the 200th Division are under great logistical pressure. Land transportation lines alone are not only too long but also inefficient, so most of the supplies are now delivered to their locations via transport aircraft.
Fortunately, the right regiment encountered not many Japanese troops, which allowed them to open up several larger assembly camps in Karen State. They did not have to worry about the Japanese troops coming to snatch them when airdropping. The troops also took the time to rest and slowly regain their energy.
"Brother Fang, there are no outsiders now, so why don't you go out to see others..."
Liao Mingyu joked with a smile, but he shook his head and rejected the proposal, because in the strategic plan, the role of the right corps was no less than that of the Honorable Third Division and other units that fought hard on the front.
"The right corps cannot move for the time being. Their current task is to continue moving southwest until they see the coastline of the Andaman Sea. At that time, I will be free to make arrangements."
Hearing what he said, Fang Jingyao couldn't say anything more.
After all, Long Wenwen still lacks major generals. Regardless of the 30,000 to 40,000 troops on the left, there are actually only two to three infantry regiments that can fight on the front line. The other troops are all heavy units because of the roads. Problems such as limited transportation and terrain make it difficult to exert its combat effectiveness in a short period of time.
"Brother Liao...are you really planning to let Brother Meng be the chief of staff of the Third Division this time?" Fang Jingyao seemed to have remembered something and asked suddenly.
"Yes, what general is not tempered on the battlefield of blood and fire? This boy is still young. It is better to practice more than to stay in the military to retire." Liao Mingyu replied casually with a smile.
The old foundation of the third division is the Sichuan Army. Meng Fanlie and Long Wenwen have been working together for a long time. Needless to say, they have a tacit understanding. It would be perfect for him to succeed Fang Jingyao.
But the speaker has no intention...the listener has the intention. Fang Jingyao's brows gradually furrowed into a "Sichuan" character, and his heart suddenly rose to his throat. It seemed that he had already made plans to transfer himself back to the military headquarters. , but why did the other party do this? Is it because of my father's incident?
"Brother Liao... don't blame me for being outspoken. Judging from the current situation, my role on the front line is definitely better than staying at the rear. And... for personal reasons, I prefer to continue to kill the enemy in the front-line troops. Please give me a try. Complete!"
Fang Jingyao still failed
He held back and spoke his heart out sonorously and forcefully. Especially when he said the last sentence, he stood up straight like a soldier, with his eyes pleading for mercy.
Although he is more than ten years older than Liao Mingyu, he has never forgotten the difference in position and status. He has always regarded himself as a subordinate, without any self-restraint and arrogant.
In fact, looking at the overall situation, although the frontline attack is blocked, at least generally speaking, the entire battle is still advancing steadily southward.
In the absence of air support and difficulties in logistical supplies, he alone led two main regiments to fight against a Japanese brigade and two mobile brigades without falling behind. This is something that ordinary people really can't do.
What's more, since the Third Division set out to reorganize the army in Myitkyina, it has fought no less than a dozen battles, large and small, along the way from northern Myanmar to Naypyitaw. Fang Jingyao basically participated in all of them, and his ability also impressed most people. The prestige and status in the army are second only to Liao Mingyu and the godly Long Wenwen.
Moreover, compared to the young Meng Fan, Fang Jingyao believed that he was superior to the former in terms of personal ability and military quality. It would not be appropriate to change his situation on the spot at this time.
The drama of being transferred from the front line to the rear command post has been commonplace in the military, but Fang Jingyao, who was unwilling to accept it, still wanted to fight for it, especially now that he was still burdened with the hatred of his family and the country.
"Pfft... Haha, who said I would transfer you back to the military headquarters?" Liao Mingyu chuckled and asked jokingly.
"What?"
After hearing this, Jingyao was obviously stunned. Now, even with his extraordinary wit, he could not guess what the other party was really thinking.
"The Americans are no longer planning to find a breakthrough in Southeast Asia. The current situation in Myanmar has actually exceeded the strategic goal. As for counterattacking Malay to retake the Indonesian Islands, it doesn't mean much to them..."
Liao Mingyu walked forward, minding his own business, and slowly spoke of the historical events that he was familiar with as a person who had lived there, and that they were bound to happen in the not-too-distant future...
"Now their Pacific Fleet is unstoppable, seizing dozens of important peripheral islands in succession, and has reached the doorstep of the Japanese.
You see... The only Ryukyu Islands left at the kid's doorstep can be defended. Okinawa is the largest of them. It is only more than 300 kilometers away from the Japanese mainland. It is enough to build several large airports for heavy transport aircraft to take off and land.
By then, the American bombing range will be able to cover the entire country of Japan, cut off the Japanese's maritime connections with the Southeast Asia, completely block all coastlines and completely isolate them, so this place is bound to become an important place for the two armies to compete..."
Fang Jingyao thought about the crux of the problem and quickly realized the crux of it: "In this case, the Americans will soon be able to land on the Japanese mainland. By then, can't it be said that this war will be over?"
Liao Mingyu smiled and replied without hesitation: "It's not that easy. It's not like you don't understand the temper of the Japanese. They have to defend such an important island to the death. Their defensive power and fighting will will be extremely firm. Others Speaking of Okinawa, even if we capture Iwo Jima, the Americans will pay a high price."
However, it was precisely because of this cost that the Americans finally decided to invest nuclear bombs to end the war early...
