Chapter 18 Chapter Eighteen

After the failure of the first expedition, Sun Liren led the new 38th Division to serve as the rear for Stilwell and the British army.The British guy crossed the river by himself, fearing that the Japanese army would come after him, so he even wanted to blow up the bridge before the Chinese army had finished crossing. Sun Liren was very angry when he saw this, and immediately went to the commander of the British army, "In Ren'anqiang, our new 38th division rescued you from life and death. How can we abandon our safety now?" The British army was speechless and had to agree that no matter how dangerous the situation was, they would wait until all the New 38th Division had crossed the river before blowing up the bridge.

Entering India, the British Army stationed in India asked the new 38th Division to disarm and station there as refugees. Of course, Sun Liren refused. Qiang rescued you, and beating you again would not be a big deal. The New 38th Division is a relatively intact unit of the Chinese Expeditionary Force. Even if it walked to India on two legs, it was not as distraught as those British and Burmese troops. It was no problem to fight. The British troops stationed in India were not ignorant, but also learned that the Chinese army in front of them was their savior in Renangqiang, so their attitude changed 180 degrees.

What happened to the New 38th Division is just a microcosm of the expeditionary force's hard work in foreign lands. pride and prejudice The defeat in Burma made Chiang Kai-shek have a good opinion of Stilwell, but he had nothing to do with the Americans for a while. Stilwell had a good relationship with Marshall, the chief of staff of the U.S. Army, especially after the "hiking trip". Do you still want to get help at the risk of offending the other party? The assistance China received from the "Concession Act" was insignificant, less than a fraction of that of the Soviet Union, Britain and other countries. , even if you lean your neck up to catch a drop of dew, it is good, not to mention that the dew is not a drop after all.

Stilwell was also well aware of this, and he firmly grasped this point. Relying on his own right to distribute aid materials to China, he unceremoniously issued various ultimatum-style "suggestions" to Chiang Kai-shek. The "overlord" of the Chinese army. In July 1942, after negotiating with the Indian side, the Chinese Army Garrison in India was established and organized training on the spot. However, after the establishment of this army, internal turmoil continued, and the instigator was Stilwell himself. Du Yuming led his troops across Savage Mountain when he was in distress, and almost put his life on the mountain, but because he "offended" Stilwell when he was in Burma, Chiang Kai-shek had to be the first to recall him back to the country.

Next, it was Luo Zhuoying's turn again. Luo Zhuoying originally had no actual command power, but when Stilwell "traveled to India" alone, he pushed all the responsibility for the failure to Luo Zhuoying, and described the other party as "abandoning the army and fleeing". Luo Zhuoying endured all this, but when he arrived in India, Stilwell not only didn't appreciate it, but even intensified it, listing Luo Zhuoying's "ten crimes", and he had to drive him away. Anyway, to say a thousand words and ten thousand, the hill stationed in India can only be controlled by him, Stilwell, and the status of "Supreme Emperor" must be well deserved.

Stilwell believed that the Chinese could only "work hard" and go to the front line to bleed and die. The officers should be all served by Americans. The so-called "those who work hard rule others, and those who work hard rule others", so he once proposed to replace all Chinese military officers , but his "ridiculous" suggestion, let alone Chiang Kai-shek, even the U.S. government thinks it is too much, because even the U.S. Army Department knows that China and the U.S. are allies, and the Chinese army is not like the Burmese army or the Indian army. A colonial army at will, like an army.

When one plan failed, another plan was implemented, and Stilwell sent liaison officers to the Indian Army at all levels.Not many of these liaison officers are serious military officers in the United States. Most of them are students who have just graduated from college. They have only received reserve officer education in school. Not only do they have no actual combat experience, they even have limited military knowledge. The problem is that they have all learned the same virtues as Stilwell. They often regard themselves as "supervisors" and benefactors. They don't take the Chinese seriously and bully them as they want.

Sun Liren, who also came from a prestigious American school, could not stand the bossy orders of Stilwell and the "Little Stilwells." It is difficult for foreigners to serve, but there must be someone to serve them, otherwise the army stationed in India will be difficult to form an army. Chiang Kai-shek's high command thought of looking for another candidate. At first, Minister of Military and Political Affairs He Yingqin nominated Qiu Qingquan to take up the post. The latter not only found a staff, but also asked someone to teach diplomatic etiquette and how to eat Western food.

However, Qiu Qingquan's old officers, Xu Tingyao and Du Yuming, came to him. They thought Qiu Qingquan was not suitable. Do you know what Qiu Qingquan's nickname is? "Crazy Qiu", if you only talk about wars, you don't talk about it, but dealing with foreigners is different. When you meet Stilwell, this guy has to use the bench to fight. After hearing this, He Yingqin slapped the back of his head continuously. Qiu Qingquan really can't do it, but who can do it? Du Yuming is already known for his good temper, and Luo Zhuoying is not a thorn in the side, even they can't stay together, it's really hard to find a suitable one.

Xu Tingyao and Du Yuming proposed a new candidate. This person was not only a general in all battles, but also had the virtue of bearing humiliation and self-denial, so he was immediately approved by He Yingqin, and Chiang Kai-shek also repeatedly expressed his approval after learning about it. Even better tempered than Du Yuming, and able to endure, who is he? Learning from Tian Heng is easy, but doing great things is difficult In February 1943, Zheng Dongguo was recalled from the front to Chongqing. Zheng Dongguo was the commander of the Eighth Army at the time. Generally speaking, if the Supreme Command had any orders, they would be forwarded by the commander of the war zone. But this time it was different. Chiang Kai-shek summoned him alone, and urged him very urgently. My heart was beating drums all the way.

After guessing a lot of riddles, Zheng Dongguo was still quite surprised when he understood the truth. Chiang Kai-shek's high command decided to set up a new army under the Chinese army stationed in India, including all the troops stationed in India at that time. Make a long-term relationship. A mission that is much more difficult than going to the battlefield! No need to explain in detail, Zheng Dongguo also knew how difficult the trip was, but he had no way out. The little bones and blood left by the old Fifth Army were in India, and the hope of bringing the Chinese Expeditionary Force back to life was also there. The heavy responsibility was on his shoulders, and he had no choice. In March, Zheng Dongguo arrived at the training base of the New First Army, and within a few days of his arrival, he tasted the "killing stick" of the Americans. When Zheng Dongguo took office, he brought his old partner, Comfort Cun, who served as the chief of staff of the New First Army. He once discussed business with Chief of Staff of the Indian Army, and there were some disputes in the middle. Ordinarily, when we work together, disputes are always inevitable. Unexpectedly, when Comfort Cun was about to return to the camp, he found that his car was confiscated by Bo Denuo, and he had to walk back in the end. According to military rank, Comfortable Cun is a lieutenant general, while Padenuo is only a brigadier general, and Comfortable Cun participated in the Kunlun Pass Battle, he is a person who has fought tough battles and made great achievements. This excellent chief of staff told his subordinates that if necessary , everyone must follow the example of Tian Heng's five hundred heroes and never be humiliated in front of foreign devils. After Zheng Dongguo heard about this incident, he also felt very angry, so he appealed to the Chinese Theater Command.Stilwell knew he was wronged, so he transferred Padno. However, most of the time, Zheng Dongguo chose to seek common ground while reserving minor differences. We must clearly know why we are standing here, in a foreign country, it is easy to learn from the field, but difficult to do great things. The New First Army was equipped with American weapons, but Stilwell only trained soldiers below the company platoon.The officers and staff of the military department did not understand the use of new weapons and the characteristics of joint operations of various arms. Zheng Dongguo was very anxious about this, but Stilwell rejected the training application with various excuses and reasons. Zheng Dongguo is not a person who is good at socializing before banquets. However, in order to accomplish this, he used the festival to specially entertain US military officers including Stilwell. He said a lot of good things, and finally Stilwell was relieved , agreed to send high-level Chinese military officers to the US military tactical training school for study in batches. Aside from these key aspects, Jung Dong-kook gives way. After the establishment of the First Army, Stilwell not only emptied the headquarters of the First Army, but also deliberately created all kinds of embarrassments, in order to make Zheng Dongguo follow in the footsteps of Luo Zhuoying and others, so that he would not be able to continue doing so. As the supreme Chinese commander stationed in India, the New First Army specially equipped Zheng Dongguo with a new-style car as a show of respect, but Stilwell took it back on the grounds of "waste" and only gave it to an old-fashioned British car. However, Stilwell himself swaggered around in the latest American sedan. Now that the military department has been established, it should be equipped with direct troops, but Stilwell didn't even allow the guards to be assigned. Zheng Dongguo sat in the office with a group of staff, the door was empty, and there was no guard. In the end, Liao Yaoxiang couldn't see it. His new 22nd Division temporarily allocated a special agent company to respond to the mission. Regarding these, Zheng Dongguo smiled and passed away. He has been in India for more than a year, but he has never blush once with the grumpy Stilwell. They all choked honestly. Zheng Dongguo (centre sitter) tried his best not to have a frontal dispute with Stilwell On the other hand, this honest and honest Chinese has never forgotten his nationality and national dignity. The military uniforms made by Stilwell for the Chinese troops stationed in India were almost the same in color and style as those of the British troops stationed in India. Zheng Dongguo could not argue with Stilwell over this, so he and the officers of the army headquarters sewed each A set of national army uniforms is used to display the clothes of the motherland to the outside world during festivals. When wandering in a foreign land, the word "motherland" seems so friendly for a while. The Chinese Army Garrison in India holds a ceremony of raising and lowering the national flag every day. Regardless of whether they are in the barracks or on the road, as soon as they hear the sound of the trumpet, the officers and soldiers immediately stand upright and raise their hands in salute. When there are conflicts among themselves, everyone handles them by themselves and keeps foreigners from knowing, so as to show a high degree of internal unity. No matter how far away you are, no matter whether you change your appearance or not, what you can't forget is always the hometown in your dreams.Only by thinking of you can the wanderer not lose his way in depression and boredom, and can also light up the future sky. The Chinese troops stationed in India devoted themselves to training wholeheartedly, and "fight back to the motherland" became the unanimous voice of officers and soldiers. jungle adventure Among the Chinese troops stationed in India, the Sun Liren New 38th Division, which has a tradition of American-style training and is basically complete, took the lead in completing the training, and entered the Battle of Yeren Mountain early in March 1943. Stilwell is not useless. This American general also has many things worthy of recognition. One of them is his determination to counterattack northern Burma. To counterattack northern Burma, troops and horses must not move and food and grass must be built first. and material roads. This road has to pass through Yeren Mountain, but it has been invaded by the Japanese army. Sun Liren's task is to open the way for the engineers. Savage Mountain buried the Fifth Army, where the mountains are so high and densely forested that the sun cannot be seen from above, the danger can be imagined. The demons and ghosts that defeated the Fifth Army attacked one by one. One of them was the leech. This kind of disgusting insect is everywhere in Savage Mountain. It is hard to guard against. It bites people without pain.What is even more frightening is the torture of mosquitoes. Once bitten, the incidence of malaria is over 40%, which is equivalent to a death sentence in the virgin forest. Compared with the poor Fifth Army, the New Thirty-eighth Division was definitely touched by the god of luck. When they withdrew from Burma before, they didn't have to climb over the Wilderness Mountain. Adequate logistical support. The combat between Britain and the United States is all about "materialism". The treatment of the Chinese troops stationed in India is still far behind that of the British and American troops, but compared with the domestic situation, it is nothing more than a day and a day. There are too many canned foods to eat. Although they are not as tasty as vegetables, they are nutritious enough to turn soldiers into little tigers. They have good health and good teeth, and they will naturally avoid diseases. Medicines are rare in China, but they are available here, including quinine to treat malaria, which also minimizes non-combat attrition—even if you feed mosquitoes naked all day and are bitten by leeches, if you want to get sick immediately Going back is not easy either. Including the New 38th Division, what the entire army stationed in India lacks most is the experience and ability of jungle warfare. Previously, the troops stationed in India had conducted jungle warfare training in India, but after a dozen battles, they discovered that drills and actual combat could not be equated, and jungle warfare was far more difficult than plain warfare. In the new round of jungle adventures, the biggest opponent is no longer poisonous insects and beasts, but people—a small group of Japanese troops with more experience in jungle combat. On Savage Mountain, the Japanese defensive positions were set up deep in the dense forest on both sides of the main road. The sniper was tied to a tree, brought food and ammunition, condescending, and specifically attacked our leading commander, almost hitting a hundred shots. scary japanese jungle sniper Since the large corps could not be deployed, Sun Liren could only use the company as a unit to attack in turn. However, in such a small-scale battle of Savage Mountain, more than 30 company commanders were killed, which means that the company commanders of the entire infantry company of the entire division were replaced. There is more than one time. There is no teacher in the big forest, only the big bad wolf. If you want to become an experienced hunter, you must learn to use your brain. It just so happens that Sun Liren is a general who loves to use his brain. All American weapons, howitzers and heavy artillery could not be transported in for a while, and the efficiency of the machine gun was extremely low, and the bullets were all blocked by branches and firewood. If you were not careful, you might hurt yourself, but Sun Liren discovered that there were two treasures that were very effective. The first is the mortar.As early as the victory in Wanjialing, this type of artillery proved its value in mountain warfare. When it comes to jungle warfare, it is equally majestic. The second is the submachine gun.In the jungle, when the devil's vanguard suddenly rushes from the dark with a bayonet, it doesn't matter if it's too late to aim, or it doesn't matter if you are afraid that you won't be able to fight with the blade. A submachine gun can beat him into a hornet's nest. Relying on these two weapons, Sun Liren developed a unique jungle warfare tactic. First use submachine guns to search for security, and after finding the Japanese defensive positions, organize mortars to carry out cover bombardment. It was not bombardment, but the forest around the defensive position was exerted force. In the end, the towering trees were blown up as if they had been burned, leaving only scorched wooden stakes. At this point, the defensive position was completely exposed. At the same time, the infantry dug in and built a siege around the defensive position. The siege has been completed, and the original complex jungle warfare has become a relatively simple assault battle, from mortars to machine guns and grenades. Sun Liren's tactics are admired by the conceited Americans, who regard them as a great pioneering work in jungle warfare. By October 1943, Sun Liren finally opened up Savage Mountain, and the Indian Army not only built a road that could carry tanks and supplies, but also gained valuable experience in jungle warfare. "Eight Diagrams" In October 1943, the rainy season ended and the dry season suitable for combat arrived. The Chinese troops stationed in India launched the first dry season offensive against northern Myanmar. Walking out of Savage Mountain on the India-Myanmar border, you enter the Hukang River Valley, where there is a large area of ​​virgin forest no less than Savage Mountain, and the terrain is extremely complex. Brigadier General Porter, the chief of staff of the Indian Army in charge of the command, believed that the Japanese army would only station a small group of troops in the Hukang Valley, and it would be enough to deal with it with the troops that opened up the Savage Mountain. The New Thirty-eighth Division participated in the Battle of Savage Mountain as a regiment, but it was not until this regiment arrived in the Hukang River Valley that it was not the case at all. The main force of the Eighteenth Division was assembled here, and there were two regiments in total. ! The 18th Division, code-named "Ju Bing Tuan", belongs to the first newly organized division in Japan. It comes from Kitakyushu. It once landed in Jinshanwei with the Kumamoto Sixth Division. Later, it gradually developed into a front-line teacher group that can conquer battles , especially in the field of jungle warfare, it is rare to meet opponents, and is known as the "King of the Subtropical Jungle" by the outside world. The failure of the first expedition can be said to be partially due to the defeat by the Eighteenth Division. The two regiments were also equipped with heavy artillery. Of course they couldn't beat them. After the main force of the regiment broke out of the encirclement, the search company ahead was surrounded by the Japanese army in a place called "Lijiazhai". Listen to the names, "Lijiazhai" and "Zhangjiacun", they are not at all like the names in Southeast Asia, but similar to a village somewhere in the Central Plains.That's right, "Lijiazhai" is not the original place name, it is taken from the surname of Li Keji, the commander and battalion commander of the search company. "Lijiazhai" was about 200 meters long and 100 meters wide, and the place was really small. Even if it was on a plain, even if the 18th Division didn't organize infantry to charge, it could destroy the opponent's defense line only by firing artillery. Or go back in time, the Chinese army has just entered Savage Mountain, you don't have to work hard to attack, just surround it like that, in the absence of jungle warfare experience, this company will collapse on its own in a few days because it cannot survive. The Japanese national flag can also be used as an apron, and Chinese soldiers are equally humorous However, none of these assumptions exist today.No one’s guns in the forest are very good, and the Japanese army is the same. Heavy artillery is not as good as mortars. As for jungle warfare experience, since the battle of Savage Mountain, the Indian army has completed its first grade. You want them to collapse immediately It is also impossible. Sometimes it's like a dream. When you wake up, all the nightmares disappear. Does that feel good? As a second-year old student, his future achievements depend on his personal understanding and hard work. As Sun Liren's subordinate, Li Keji did not embarrass his superior at all. We said that there are no teachers in the forest, that's about offense, there are teachers in defense. The Japanese army at Savage Mountain knew to use ready-made trees as natural fortifications, and this thing has not applied for a patent, so you can also use it. There is a big banyan tree in "Lijiazhai", with a circumference of more than ten meters and a radius of more than twenty meters covering the ground, like a small hill in the jungle. The thousand-year-old dryad was favored by Li Keji, and he built a machine gun shelter on the tree. Because the tree was too big, he could sleep or lie on it. The machine gunners didn't have to come down day and night, and became the biggest firepower point to control the "Lijiazhai". . After that, eight circle-shaped fortifications were built around the big banyan tree, and the fortifications could provide fire support to each other, just like the "small eight formations" in the story of the Three Kingdoms. No matter how mysterious the "Eight Arrays" are, they are dead things. Whether the "Li Family Village" can be defended depends on the living people and the weapons in their hands. The search company has a total of more than 300 people, but these 300 people are elite soldiers who have undergone sufficient rest and training and are familiar with the use of various American weapons. Each of them has a Tom submachine gun, and the company is equipped with light and heavy machine guns, mortars Guns and anti-tank guns, if placed in China, are almost the equipment of a main division or even an army. Li Keji did not fight at a distance, but only in close combat. When the opponent was 30 to 20 meters away from the "Small Eight Formation", he gave an order. The Japanese soldiers with 38 large caps were in front of the dense rain of bullets. How many people died, it was shocking before the battle, all the corpses of the Japanese soldiers in disorder. Later, Li Keji even made a rule that if the rushing Japanese troops did not gather over fifty, they were not allowed to shoot lightly, so as not to expose the position of the "Little Eight Formation", but the officers and soldiers fought vigorously with submachine guns. , Sometimes less than fifty will be swept across, until there is no one left in front of you. We are not afraid of a strong attack during the day, but we are afraid of a sneak attack at night. In Savage Mountain, everyone has suffered. Li Keji set up grenade arrays 30 meters outside the "Lijiazhai". The wires of these grenades were tied to the tree vines. As long as the Japanese army squeezed and stepped forward, the sporadic grenades would explode, and then the more they walked forward, the more lively they would be, and before they reached the "Lijiazhai", The Japanese army that attacked at night was blown up by grenades. Relying on cutting banana trees and vines for water and continuous aerial supplies, "Lijiazhai" was rock-solid in defense. The 18th Division invested in a brigade, and the siege could not open the gap for more than a month. On the contrary, the brigade itself suffered heavy casualties , Even the captain and squadron leader are dead.