"Good!" Slim was greatly satisfied with the taste of the exquisite dishes, and he exclaimed while eating.
Dai Anlan felt like he couldn't eat anything. Thinking of the food of the 200 Division, he felt resentful towards the American observer - although he was an Allied force, he was not from the same group after all!
Li Junhao saw the meaning of General Dai's expression and did not explain. These ingredients were all obtained from the British army's warehouses and goods yards. No matter how much he ate, he would not feel bad. However, this arrangement was deliberate, with the purpose of making the two generals happy. Make an association in your mind.
After all, ingredients such as grouper and shrimp must be fresh to taste delicious. In this wartime Myanmar-China Tonggu, the only way to achieve this is by air transport!
However, the Yongkegang Military Airport in the north of the ancient city is now under the control of the British army. Slim is absolutely sure that no Allied planes have arrived in the past two days. Thinking about it this way, the source of the fresh seafood is a mystery. .
This was something Slim gradually thought of after he started eating. General Dai Anlan thought of it a little later. In the minds of the two generals, General Panson felt even more mysterious!
The guards of the two generals did not feel the thoughts of the chief officers at all. Everyone ate the rare delicacies, while sighing at the generosity of the American observers and envying the attachés around the observers. They really didn’t think much about anything else. . After all, in this era, it is common for officers and soldiers to be treated differently.
——
After eating a delicious meal, the three generals returned to the command tent and sat at the marching table. Xiaoyu gave them new tea.
After being silent for a while, Dai Anlan suddenly said: "I received an encrypted telegram from my superior." At this time, he came to his senses. The content of the telegram was a bit strange. He retained the British army's inventory and "part" of the armor. It was something I couldn’t even think about before! And at the end, it specifically stated that "help from American observers can be sought when necessary." What does this mean? The meaning inside is thought-provoking.
After hearing what Dai Anlan said, Slim was silent for a moment and said, "I also received a telegram from my boss."
"Oh? That's the worst for me. No boss sent me a telegram at all." After saying that, looking at the solemn expressions of the two people, Li Junhao smiled and said: "There was a US general in the India-Burma theater who sent me a telegram. The telegram said that you hope I can help you to complete the material handover between your two armies. I don’t know what’s going on?”
As soon as he said this, Dai Anlan and Slim's faces immediately became cheerful. In this case, everything is on the right track. The British army will be ordered to retreat, and they will be separated from the ancient city and the various military supplies left by the British army, including armor. All military equipment, including military strength, will be handed over to the Chinese Expeditionary Force under the supervision of U.S. observers, and both sides will get what they need.
——
On March 25, the armored troops of the 1st Division of the British-Burmese Army suddenly came forward. With the cooperation of the artillery units, they raided the Japanese positions south of Tonggu City. The frontline troops of the 55th Division were stunned and panicked. They lost two lines of defense in a row, and it was not until they retreated 5 kilometers that they stabilized their position!
Immediately, the Japanese army discovered that after the British armored forces retreated, the Chinese Expeditionary Force came forward and took over the two lines of defense. The intensity of firepower was extremely strong, which frustrated the under-strength Japanese 55th Division and could only Reconstruct the front and wait for reinforcements to arrive before launching a counterattack.
What the Japanese army didn't know was that after the British armored forces withdrew, they directly handed over the tanks and armored vehicles to the officers and soldiers of the 200 Division who had been prepared behind the forward positions, and then retreated on foot to the British camp and packed their bags. , prepare to evacuate.
On the other hand, in Tonggu City, the 1st Division of the British-Burmese Army was handing over the warehouses in charge to the 200th Division one by one... From Dai Anlan on down, all the middle and senior officers of the 200th Division were very busy. Although very tired, the officers and soldiers were in a constant state of excitement. Such a huge amount of equipment and materials was beyond their imagination before.
At the same time, Du Yuming, deputy commander-in-chief of the First Route Army of the Chinese Expeditionary Force and commander of the Fifth Army, urgently ordered his subordinates Liao Yaoxiang's newly formed 22nd Division and Yu Shao's 96th Division to go south from Mandalay and Meimu to meet up with Tonggu. The 200th Division, the 55th Division of the Communist Anti-Japanese Army, and the 56th Division, which is about to receive reinforcements, are of course also to replace the advanced equipment left by the British army.
——
When the British army in Tonggu handed over military supplies to the 200th Division, Li Junhao sent 30 of his attachés into three groups to monitor the scene, and strictly ordered them to only observe and not interfere with the handover. He also Thinking that if someone in the British-Burmese army violated the law, he would not mind correcting it himself!
The final result was very good. I don't know whether it was Slim's super control ability or the British officers and soldiers were eager to retreat to a safe area. The entire handover process went very smoothly without any accidents.
In Li Junhao's somewhat malicious conjecture, it must be the latter!
——
On the morning of March 27, the fastest-moving 64th Regiment of the New 22nd Division arrived in Tonggu. Before stopping, they received the order to change equipment and received 88 Soviet-made T-26b light tanks replaced by the 200th Division Armored Regiment. 8 BT series tanks, 16 various BA-3 heavy armored vehicles, a small number of BA10 armored vehicles, Italian CV33 tanks, French AMR33/35 light tanks, British "Vickers" M1936 light tanks, and Sophia 3000B tanks , Germany's 221 armored vehicles and 222 armored vehicles, etc., have transformed into the latest tank regiments.
The excited 64th Regiment did not even want to rest and went directly to the front line, but was stopped. The 200th Division now has the advantage on the battlefield and does not need to increase its troops.
——
On March 28, when the 143rd Regiment of the 55th Division of the Japanese Army responded tentatively and launched a wave of counterattacks, they never expected that they would face the expeditionary force that had already been initially refitted.
The 598th Regiment of the 200th Division has been fully organized into an armored regiment, with two armored battalions each equipped with 12 US-made M3 light tanks and 24 British-made Daleham "Wild Dog" armored vehicles, and one equipped with 12 M4 medium tanks plus Tank battalion of 20 Dingo armored vehicles.
The two sides engaged in battle, and the Japanese 143rd Regiment was almost crippled in a single encounter. Less than half of the 3,800-man troops were able to return to the starting position alive.
In response, Lieutenant General Shojiro Iida, commander of the Japanese Fifteenth Army, was horrified and hurriedly ordered the 55th Division to hold on to the existing position and not launch any more active attacks without authorization. At the same time, he requested heavy fire support from the country.
——
On March 29, the entire army of the newly formed 22nd Division arrived in Tonggu and took over the positions of the 1st Division of the British-Burmese Army. At the same time, it began to fully replace British-made equipment. To this end, the 200th Division, which has completed the change of uniforms, also sent a team of instructors for coaching.
(End of chapter)
