The total number of Japanese garrison troops in Ayeyarwaddy Province is about 30,000. They suffered heavy losses in the two-month fierce battle with the New Army. Counting combat and non-combat attrition such as deaths and missing persons, the entire Japanese garrison force only has More than fifteen thousand people.
At this time, they no longer had the concept of wounded soldiers. Some were only lightly wounded who did not affect marching and fighting. As for those soldiers who had lost the ability to move... they were all left in place to die.
Basically no one is willing to risk their lives to be a burden. Even if they are, they will be scolded by the superiors as soon as possible and the wounded will be dealt with.
Not only is there a lack of medical treatment and medicine, but the consecutive days of defeats have resulted in the loss of a large amount of supplies. The little devils, who were already not well-off in logistics, are now even worse. Starvation has become a common phenomenon for the soldiers, but this all eased after they entered the Irrawaddy River Estuary. A lot.
It is located in the southernmost corner of Myanmar, where the Irrawaddy River and the Pathein River, the largest rivers in Myanmar, merge into the sea.
Due to many factors such as topography and river flow speed, a huge delta was formed at the outlet of the sea. There are hundreds of large and small reef islands, covering a very wide area, and some islands even reach more than 500 square kilometers. , became a natural hiding place.
There were many local aborigines living up there, but now they had become the target of plunder by the little devils, and they were all brutally slaughtered and looted.
Although the food snatched from the hands of the indigenous people was not much, it could be regarded as solving the urgent need of the more than 10,000 Japanese troops who retreated to the Delta Islands.
The desire to survive has never been extinguished. Although the little devils hid in swamps and islands, they still hoped that a naval transport ship would come to pick them up, and they continued to send messages to the Yangon headquarters requesting support.
It's a pity that it is difficult for Yangon to protect itself now. The naval fleet that came to support them against all odds was beaten and fled in despair, and there is no energy left to save them.
On the third day after the general offensive on the Yangon battlefield began, the main forces of the three divisions of the New Army also met at Lakunda in the southernmost part of Ayeyarwaddy Province, and gradually improved the blockade against Japan to the south.
Fang Jingyao also came to Lakunda accompanied by troops directly under the military headquarters, and personally inspected and expressed condolences to the troops. At the same time, in order to boost the morale of the soldiers who had been fighting for days, he also brought a large amount of supplies from the rear and military pay for the month.
When he saw the countless islands, reefs and swamps in the Irrawaddy Delta, Fang Jingyao fell into deep thought. The actual situation was basically the same as he expected. The Japanese army almost embarked on a tragic path of destruction.
"Report to the commander."
At this moment, Xing Fuquan's voice interrupted Fang Jingyao's contemplation. The latter turned around and looked up, raising his head to signal the other person to continue speaking.
"According to the report of the reconnaissance team, except for the 97th Regiment, all the Japanese troops have entered the islands in the Katongani area. We have now set up a blockade along the river mouth. Do we need to plan the next attack plan? "
Xing Fuquan stated the problem in his mind straightforwardly.
"This 97th Regiment is quite interesting. They are still with Bogeli, right?" Fang Jingyao answered the question incorrectly.
Xing Fuquan glanced at it unclearly, and then replied: "...Yes, the 97th Regiment originally tried to break out eastward, but was blocked by the 9th Regiment of the 203rd Division in a valley outside Bogeli. At present, It seems that they no longer have the ability to launch a head-on battle.
"I remember that the captain of the 97th Regiment has died in the battle, right? Who takes over now...?"
"It's Mitsushima Oikuma, the captain of the regiment's baggage detachment. However, the 9th Regiment of the 203 Division has surrounded the opponent. It is only a matter of time before they are annihilated." Xing Fuquan, who did not understand what the other party meant, could only continue to answer helplessly.
The 97th Regiment was the main force in the 203rd Division's offensive, and its battle losses were also very huge. All the officers in the entire Regiment, including majors and above, were killed in the battle.
Nowadays, the remnants of this team are commanded by a little-known Lieutenant Colonel. However, surprisingly, they did not go south with the Japanese army, but instead desperately broke out eastward.
In addition to the 9th Regiment of the 203 Division in the east of Ayeyarwady Province, there is also a rocket artillery battalion, which can be said to be heavily guarded. The opponent's remnant troops of less than a thousand people were defeated.
"It seems that this Hikari Island Bear has some abilities, but we can't underestimate them..."
Fang Jingyao smiled and sighed, going east was indeed their only way out, but it was a pity that most of the Japanese commanders did not realize this, and they all ran to the islands in the delta like ostriches that care about their heads but not their backs.
"Captain Huang must be careful in dealing with this. If he lets this Japanese army go, I will definitely ask him about it!"
"I understand, but... we should first make a plan to attack the main force of the Japanese army on the island." Xing Fuquan frowned and said hurriedly.
In the past few days, the soaked corpses of local residents have been washed up on the shore. Many of them were beheaded by the Japs or stabbed to death with bayonets. The tragedy is self-evident.
After seeing all the carnage caused by the Japanese army in the delta area, he now wanted to kill all those little devils immediately.
"attack?"
Fang Jingyao shook his head and asked with a smile: "When did I say I would continue to attack?"
"Huh? But Commander, the Japanese are obviously in decline. Why don't we take this opportunity to launch a siege and annihilate them all?" Xing Fuquan asked in surprise.
"A bunch of rats got into a frying pan. Do we need to put a cat in there and bite them to death?"
Fang Jingyao looked in the direction of the coastline and replied coldly.
Although this delta is huge, even if more than 10,000 Japanese troops hid in it, there would be no trace of it.
But there is no other way out here. The coast is blocked by our own troops, and there are also British submarine forces cruising on the sea. Those little devils have now dug their own graves.
The Japanese transport fleet had been severely damaged and defeated a few days ago. Now they don't dare to come over, and they don't have the ability to come over again.
In order not to be directly held accountable by their superiors, the Japanese transport fleet deliberately concealed the fact of defeat. They only stated in their reply that they had encountered obstacles from the British army and were "actively" responding to it.
This also gave the Japanese who were forced to a dead end a glimmer of hope. It seemed that as long as they stayed on the islands and reefs for a period of time, they could wait for the arrival of the naval fleet, so that they could escape.
In fact, the route they expected to evacuate from the sea had long been blocked. Maybe some officers had known the result, but they couldn't tell the story. Once the soldiers below knew about it, the entire unit would collapse.
"We just need to put some firewood under the oil pan and burn it with each other. Those rats will slowly be tortured to death."
Fang Jingyao spoke out his plans meaningfully, and one could not help but see the coldness and ruthlessness in his eyes.
Family hatred and national hatred are just talk. As long as there is a chance, the Japanese will be sent to hell in the most cruel way.
He brought so much material and equipment to the front line this time, not to fight the Japanese to the death, but to keep the troops stationed for a long time and maintain a blockade, starving these little devils to death.
After hearing this, Xing Fuquanruo nodded thoughtfully.
Yes, the little devil now is like a cornered dog. If you step forward and try to subdue him, he will definitely resist with all his strength.
He only thought about the order issued by Liao Mingyu to quickly resolve the battle in Irrawaddy Province, but ignored the actual situation in front of him.
The Japanese's logistics collapsed long ago, which can be seen from their burning, killing and looting of the indigenous residents.
As long as you can keep your composure and fight with them, the enemy will be defeated within half a month without attacking. Why waste the lives of soldiers now to fight them to the death and increase casualties?
(End of chapter)
