Chapter 9 4. The willows are dark and the flowers are bright

In 1944, Chiang Kai-shek seemed to have had a nightmare. This year was really too dark, full of dangers and sufferings.In 365 days, Chiang Kai-shek did not smile once, even if Soong Meiling peeled apples and tied ties for him, he never smiled.On New Year's Day in 1945, when he published a message to the country compatriots on the radio in Chongqing, he also had a mournful tone. Song Meiling understood her husband's feelings very well, so she intervened in many diplomatic matters and tried her best to share Chiang Kai-shek's worries. This is called husband and wife sharing weal and woe.When Old Man Time entered 1945, relatives of the four major families including Soong Meiling and Soong Ziwen, as well as loyal minions of Chiang Kai-shek, wanted to celebrate the new year, create momentum, and use a peaceful atmosphere to drive away the thick fog that shrouded Chongqing.

However, their efforts were in vain.Just after New Year's Day, Chiang Kai-shek suffered from a bad cold and stayed in the room all day, unwilling to go out, let alone meet guests.His mood seems to be worse than last year.At this time, Chiang Kai-shek did not go to Emei to make a fortune. If he really went to the temple to draw a lottery, no matter how bad the monk was, he would give him a lottery, because there was a lucky star heading towards Chongqing. On January 28, the history of China's Anti-Japanese War remembers this auspicious day. Mangyou Town on the border of Myanmar, thousands of kilometers away, is holding a grand ceremony to celebrate the opening ceremony of the China-India Highway.Some people may say that there is no fuss about the opening of roads to traffic. In China right now, the opening of high-speed rail, not to mention roads, will not arouse the enthusiasm of the Chinese people. It is just a common thing.However, in the era of the Anti-Japanese War, China's transportation was blocked by the Japanese army, and all foreign aid had only one route in the sky, called the "Hump" route.

The China-India air route starts from Sam, India in the west, and ends in Kunming, Yunnan, China in the east, with a voyage of 1,100 kilometers. On the way, it has to fly over the southern section of the Himalayas. The average altitude is more than 5,000 meters, and the highest point is more than 7,000 meters. At that time, it was considered a "air restricted zone."Because the Himalayas are winding and undulating, the peaks of the China-India Highway under construction stand like the back of a camel, hence the name "Hump".In the past three years, China and the United States have lost a total of 468 aircraft on the "Hump" route, and a large amount of military supplies have been destroyed. Even if some have been transported by air, it is just a drop in the bucket for China's huge battlefield.

The China-India Highway is the lifeline of China's anti-Japanese battlefield. To build and open up this line, the Chinese Expeditionary Force fought bloody battles for three years. More than 100,000 Chinese soldiers died in the mountains and jungles of foreign countries. There are also hundreds of thousands of Chinese soldiers who built roads. Compatriots, many of their bones have been eaten up by leeches and giant ants, which makes people feel heartbroken and frightened just thinking about it, and swears about this damn war and those Japanese lunatics. Chiang Kai-shek, who lived in Chongqing, got the news of the victory of the Chinese Expeditionary Army, jumped up from the sofa, laughed at his wife Soong Meiling, and said three good things in succession: "Good! Good! Good! Mother Xipi!" Soong Meiling She was also happy for Chiang Kai-shek, but she still complained about Chiang Kai-shek.Chiang Kai-shek knew in his heart that this was his wife trying to make him happy, so he also said something humorous, so let's say something dirty, as long as the incident is good.Soong Meiling covered her beautiful mouth with her hand, and laughed too.

When Chiang Kai-shek was chatting happily with Soong Meiling, the guards came in and asked them to sit down and take medicine.Chiang Kai-shek was surprised. He asked his wife: "Am I sick? When did I get sick?" He waved his hand and said, "Last year's illness will be cured early this year." Soong Meiling knew that it was the good medicine of the expeditionary army. After he recovered from his cold, she asked the guards to step down, so he should stop eating if he didn't eat. That night, Chiang Kai-shek broadcast a speech to the whole country.His voice was loud, full of confidence, and his excitement was palpable.The next day, uncharacteristically, he waited for Wei Lihuang early in the living room in high spirits.As soon as Wei Lihuang, the commander-in-chief of the Chinese Expeditionary Force who came to report on his duties, entered the living room, Chiang Kai-shek strode forward and held his hand affectionately.

In excitement and joy, Chiang Kai-shek listened to Admiral Wei Lihuang's wonderful narration about the Chinese Expeditionary Army. Myanmar is located between India, China, and Thailand, and is under the jurisdiction of the Chinese theater.The Burma Road is the only channel for US aid supplies to China, and its strategic location is very important.As analyzed by US President Roosevelt: Once the Japanese army cut off China's war supply line, so that the Chinese army could not receive subsidies, it would inevitably be defeated by the Japanese army.In that way, Japan will be able to draw dozens of divisions from the Chinese battlefield to occupy Australia and India, and then drive straight into the Middle East, forming a pincer offensive with Nazi Germany in the European battlefield, completely cutting off Russia’s ties with the outside world. Carve up Egypt, cut off all lines of communication in the Mediterranean region, and achieve global hegemony.

Because of this, China, the United States, and the United Kingdom are all very concerned about the safety of Myanmar and attach great importance to this region.Although this area belongs to the Chinese theater under the command of Chiang Kai-shek, India and Burma are also areas controlled by the British monarchy of Great Britain. The British Empire does not allow other countries to intervene in this area. After the outbreak of the Pacific War, Japan launched an attack on British troops stationed in the Far East.Under the powerful Japanese offensive, the British army could not cope, and Burma and India were seriously threatened.Under such circumstances, Britain asked Chiang Kai-shek to send troops for assistance.

Facing Britain's request, Chiang Kai-shek was happy. He expressed his willingness to go to Burma to fight, and proposed that the Chinese army should be responsible for a certain line or a certain defense area in Burma alone, and not mixed with the British army.Chiang Kai-shek was worried that his army would not be familiar with the British army and would find it difficult to cooperate. The Chinese army was very active, and the 6th and 5th armies of the Kuomintang quickly assembled and went to Burma to fight.However, the British representative did not agree with China's sending a large army to fight in Burma, but only hoped that Chiang Kai-shek would send troops to fight together, so the Chinese army temporarily stopped advancing.Britain expressed dissatisfaction with Chiang Kai-shek's refusal to mix Chinese troops with British troops.

British representative Wei Feier said: "It is really a shame for the British if the Chinese army liberates Burma. We only ask China to agree to lend US aid. We must maintain the prestige of the British Empire Expeditionary Force. If we admit that there is no If the aid of the Chinese army cannot hold Burma, then the prestige of the British Empire will decline.” The arrogance and self-esteem of the British Empire can be seen. They not only despise the Chinese army, but also fear that if the Chinese army wins the battle, it will lose face to the British Empire.It's ridiculous.The face of the British could not withstand the fierce Japanese offensive. It didn't take long before the British army was in a hurry, and Yangon was in a hurry.

At this time, the British had no choice but to ask the Chinese army to enter Burma to fight. It would not work if it was too slow, or if there were too few people. The Japanese army's attack forced the British gentleman to hang his proud head. The Chinese Expeditionary Force, Commander Wei Lihuang, Deputy Commander Du Yuming, and Stilwell concurrently served as the commander-in-chief, with three armies under its jurisdiction.Du Yuming's 5th Army, Gan Lichu's 6th Army, and Zhang Zhen's 66th Army.This is the first time since this century that the Chinese have sent a large army abroad to rescue at the request of others, and the rescued is the world's most prestigious British Empire.

Just as the Chinese Expeditionary Force was on its way, the mouth of Burma was blocked by the Japanese.The morale of the British troops fighting in the Far East was low and they were pessimistic. Throughout the Southeast Asian battlefield, they were beaten to pieces by the Japanese army.This had a great psychological impact on the Chinese army, but the Japanese army was carried away by its sweeping attacks in Southeast Asia. Chiang Kai-shek, the Chinese expeditionary force who went to Burma to fight, took the opportunity to scold the British. The British army was incompetent.Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and surrounding Indonesia and the Philippines have all become Japanese-occupied areas. The defeat of the British army also made Chiang Kai-shek cautious.The ease with which Rangoon fell showed that the British were unreliable.So Chiang Kai-shek ordered the Chinese army to concentrate in the area of ​​Mandalay and control Mandalay. This will not only make the northern part of Burma a buffer for China's southwest, avoid the direct threat of the Japanese army to the rear, but also protect China's foreign relations via Burma to India. channel, in line with China's strategic interests. Stilwell, who was the chief of staff of the China Theater, disagreed. He actively advocated offensive operations.The strategic plan for the liberation and recovery of Myanmar formulated by him personally, namely the "Tarzan of the Apes" plan, is a strategic plan with military genius.Just looking at the name, you can tell that "Tarzan of the Apes" was originally a legendary movie that was popular in the United States in the 1930s. It tells the story of how a little boy adopted by a chimpanzee grows up in a virgin forest and becomes a hero.This code name not only means that the Burmese war is a tough and long jungle war, but also that the Chinese troops participating in the war will become the heroes of the world's anti-fascism, which is very creative and encouraging. The "Tarzan of the Apes" plan includes two large-scale strategic ideas. The codenames of the Chinese troops stationed in India are General Stilwell and Sun Liren X, with the purpose of recovering northern Burma. The Chinese Expeditionary Force, codenamed Y, aims to recover the west bank of the Nujiang River. , In the end, the X Army and the Y Army joined forces and fully recovered Myanmar.With the advancement of the X Army, a huge road construction corps will build an asphalt road from Lido, India, to Myitkyina, Myanmar, and finally connect to the Yunnan-Vietnam Highway in China. At the same time, a large-diameter oil pipeline will also be laid The road, from Calcutta, India to Kunming, China, has a total length of 2,000 miles. In order to realize the "Tarzan of the Apes" plan, Stilwell showed his sharpness, which caused him to be very embarrassed and disharmonious with Chiang Kai-shek and the generals of the Chinese Expeditionary Force.However, Stilwell was the representative of the U.S. military and had full say in the actions of the Chinese Expeditionary Force. According to his consistent concept of offensive operations, he would not be satisfied with successive resistance campaigns.He and Alexander, the commander-in-chief of the British Army in Burma, formulated the Battle of Pinmanna. The Battle of Pinmanna did not start smoothly. In the early stages of the battle, the British troops on the Western Front were retreating steadily and abandoned the important town of Prome. The next day they lost Arammel. Then a large number of British troops were surrounded by Japanese troops in Renmin. safe and sound.In the Battle of Ren'an, the New 38th Division of the 66th Army of the Chinese Expeditionary Army fought very tenaciously. Under the command of the division commander Sun Liren, they fought fiercely with the 33rd Division of the Japanese Army for two days and nights, defeated the attacking Japanese army, and killed them More than 1,200 people not only recovered the benevolence, but also rescued the desperate British commander-in-chief Alexander, and more than 7,000 British soldiers, more than 100 baggage vehicles, 1,000 horses, and British soldiers and journalists who were captured by the Japanese army. And more than 500 American missionaries. The victory of benevolence and safety was the first major victory won by the Chinese army and the Allied forces fighting side by side in World War II. Many British officers and soldiers raised their thumbs up with tears and shouted: Long live China!The feat of the Chinese Expeditionary Force caused a sensation in the British Isles and improved China's status in the Anti-Fascist War.The British and American governments specially awarded the Imperial Commander Medal and Merit Medal to Sun Liren, the commander of the new 38th Division.There is a TV series called "My Leader, My Regiment", which reflects this historical story. Sun Liren is worthy of being the hero of the expeditionary force, and he was praised by General Eisenhower of the United States as the "Montgomery of the East".Sun Liren is also very legendary, born in a scholarly family in Shucheng, Anhui.After graduating from Tsinghua University, he went to the United States to study in the Civil Engineering Department of Puton University. After obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree, he was admitted to the Virginia Military Academy. He was an alumnus of the famous American general Patton. One of the few American characters. In February 1942, he led the 38th Division to advance into Burma for the first time. It was the team that fought the India-Myanmar battlefield for the longest time. Chinese soldiers paid a huge sacrifice for three years and three months of arduous fighting. Of course, the heroes of the Chinese Expeditionary Army are not only General Sun Liren, but also generals such as Du Yuming, Liao Yaoxiang, Wei Lihuang and thousands of soldiers.Even Chiang Kai-shek, when he was happy, did not forget the American general Stilwell, who formulated the "Tarzan of the Apes" plan and made great contributions to it.Although he was squeezed out by him and sat on the bench in the United States, Chiang Kai-shek still did not forget the achievements and contributions of others. He announced: We broke the enemy's siege of China, please allow me to name this road after General Joseph Stilwell, in memory of his outstanding service, in memory of the Allied forces and Chinese troops under his command, in the Burma campaign, Outstanding contribution in the process of building roads. General Wedemeyer and Ambassador Hurley in China were moved by Chiang Kai-shek's magnanimity. When General Stilwell in the United States knew that this road was full of international friendship, blood, sweat and lives of Chinese soldiers, with his own When the name was named, he was full of tears of excitement, and the mood at this time was both bitter and sweet, which is really hard to describe.But Stilwell was proud. He finally completed his mission in China and made a major contribution to China's War of Resistance Against Japan.So far, 65 years have passed in history, and the Chinese people have not forgotten him. The opening of the China-India Highway was undoubtedly a shot in the arm, which revived the disheartened, exhausted and listless Chiang Kai-shek.The current American aid materials are no longer milking cows like they used to be, and they are intermittent, which makes Chiang Kai-shek, who is waiting for food, panic.For several years, he had dreamed of American milk flowing into his mouth like a fountain.At this time, his dream came true. In January 1945 alone, 45,000 tons of military supplies were transported through the "Hump" route. With the opening of the China-India Highway, the China-India oil pipeline has also been connected to oil, and the oil resources urgently needed for combat have been guaranteed.U.S. aid played a positive role in updating the equipment of the anti-Japanese army, improving combat effectiveness, and ensuring the supply of the rear.The B-29 bombers of the 14th Air Force and the 12th Air Force of the United States made extensive attacks and bombed Taiwan, Ryukyu, Okinawa and mainland Japan, which accelerated the collapse of the Japanese Empire. Chiang Kai-shek realized that the time was ripe for the Chinese army to cooperate with the Allied counterattack. The large number of weapons and equipment in the United States gave Chiang Kai-shek an extra mind. He first armed his direct troops so that his direct descendants could truly become the elite of the party-state. Just after the new year in 1945, Chiang Kai-shek's direct lineage of the Kuomintang began to change their outfits, from airplanes, cannons, tanks, to leather shoes, belts, and military caps, all American products. Wearing American military uniforms and carrying carbines, they showed off their might even more.A smile bloomed on Chiang Kai-shek's face. He thought that such an army was truly invincible!What I want to add here is that the miscellaneous army, the Eighth Route Army, and the New Fourth Army did not get a single shot. However, the leaders of the Communist Party of China who did not get a single shot were also rejoiced when they heard the news of the victory of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, clapped their hands and sent congratulatory messages.This is the victory of the Chinese people and the pride of the Chinese people. With this victory of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, Chiang Kai-shek straightened up his waist for this.