novelaction Chapter 297 Raid Completed, Attack Xingwei
Chapter 297 Raid Completed, Attack Xingwei
On October 10, due to the overspeed advance of the 4th Mechanized Infantry Division and the change in the Japanese defensive strategy, all the Japanese who could retreat north of Yingduo retreated rapidly, which allowed the 4st Motorized Infantry Division, which set out later, to move south along the railway almost unimpeded.
Back to the Xingwei battlefield, since the raid in the north had been a great success and Bamao was under control, there was no need for additional firepower coverage here.
After nearly 48 hours of bombing, the 176mm heavy artillery of the 152th Division and other units alone fired nearly 10 shells, and a total of more than 4000 tons of high explosives exploded. The reinforced walls of Xingwei North City and East City had long collapsed and turned into ruins, and the city gates were nowhere to be found.
Countless pieces of rubble raised the surrounding terrain by several meters. What was even more terrifying was that even in this situation, the shells still blasted out several paths.
The stones and concrete were blown into dust and dissipated into the air. The dust alone caused many Japanese soldiers to suffocate or be poisoned to death!
"Marshal, it's almost time! The 4th Mechanized Infantry Division will soon depart from Bhamo and head to 'Jesha' east of Yingduo, preparing to launch an attack on Yingduo with the 101st Division!
According to the report from the reconnaissance helicopter, the Japanese guarding the Xingwei city wall have basically lost their combat effectiveness, and we can start the general attack now!"
Seeing Fang Yue still asking for instructions, Xu Le shook his head and smiled, "General Fang, we are fighting according to the plan now. You don't need to ask me for instructions. Just fight the way you think we should, as long as we achieve the predetermined goal within the specified time!"
As he spoke, Xu Le looked at Wei Li next to him and said, "In this regard, you should learn from Consultant Wei. You should remain calm even when facing a collapse. As the highest commander of an army, you should have your own opinions!
Of course, I know you better than anyone else. You come from the military, and you were promoted from company commander to army commander in just two years. Even though you have great talents and strategies, you have to be more dignified, right?"
Faced with Xu Le's disguised praise, Wei Li just nodded slightly towards Fang Yue and said nothing. He could afford it!
However, soldiers must strictly observe the distinction between superiors and subordinates. As a military adviser, his rights in external social interactions are second only to Xu Le.
But in combat, he is the commander of the 3rd Mechanized Infantry Division, and Fang Yue is his immediate superior, so unless Fang Yue asks, he generally won't say anything!
Fang Yue said a little embarrassedly: "Indeed, in order to adapt to this change as quickly as possible, I studied hard with Minister Jiang. When I was in Jin Province, I participated in most of Consultant Wei's courses! I just didn't expect that the Marshal would let me take on such an important task so soon!"
Then, he looked at Wei Li with a tone of seeking advice: "Advisor Wei, you are older than me, and your military attainments are much better than mine. It can be said that I am not as good as you in every aspect. I am afraid that there will not be many opportunities for us to work together in the future. I hope you can give me more advice in the future!"
Everyone is smart and knows that Wei Li's military position cannot be just a division commander. Now, the four provinces of Shanxi, Xikang, Sichuan and Yunnan are all recruiting soldiers, especially in Yunnan. Zhu Xiaoping is doing it personally. I am afraid that it will not be long before Xu's army will add a new army.
And there is at least a 90% chance that the next army commander will be Wei Li!
Wei Li did not salute, but bowed slightly like a friend and said, "When three people walk together, there must be one who can teach me. Although I am older, to be honest, I am not as good as General Fang in terms of strategy. To be honest, I still haven't fully understood the fighting style of our troops and can't integrate it into my mind!"
Hahaha....
Xu Le suddenly laughed out loud: "If you two continue to have commercial dealings, I, the commander-in-chief, will be embarrassed! It just so happens that with you on the front line, I feel relieved and can be a hands-off boss! Then I'll leave this place to you, I'll go to Bamao to take a look!"
Seeing their commander walking out leisurely with his hands behind his back, just like a hands-off boss, Fang Yue and Wei Li looked at each other and chuckled!
Just when Fang Yue's attack order reached Liu Quanhua of the 176th Division on the front line, Xu Le led the guard team in two Apaches and several Z-5s towards Bamao!
In the whole world, only Xu's army can take off and land almost anywhere, because only Xu's army has helicopters!
There are two roads from Xingwei to Bhamo. The ground route is to go back along the Burma Road and turn west at Nankan, which is close to the border of the Tang Dynasty.
The other way was naturally by air, which was only 120 kilometers away. It only took Xu Le half an hour to reach Bhamo.
The main force of the 4th Mechanized Infantry Division has already set off. Only the supply battalion and an infantry company remain in Bamao. Xu Le specifically sent a telegram to ask them to wait.
This is a foreign country. Although the road to Bamao has been blocked and the Japanese cannot suddenly appear here, the people in the city are not their compatriots after all, so some people will be left to garrison in important areas to prevent accidents!
The first thing Xu Le did when he came here was naturally to replenish ammunition.
The 4th Mechanized Infantry Division had experienced a day and night of encirclement and interception, and had used up two of the three bases of ammunition originally prepared. The remaining one base could not support a large-scale battle.
Of course, whether it was the 101st Division in the north or the 176th Division in Xingwei, they did not fight so many battles in vain. Xu Le came to liberate Burma, so he still had to collect the hard work fee.
So whenever the troops passed a place, they would collect all the steel and military supplies left in the city, no matter whether they belonged to the Japanese or the former British army, whatever I took was mine.
If we are lucky enough to come across an iron mine or a steel plant, I won't say I will take it for myself. After all, I have already negotiated with Churchill. We only want those three pieces of land.
But tolls must be collected, and all the mined iron ore or refined steel must be confiscated. If there are gold bars, they must be collected even more!
First, all the steel in Bamao and the captured Japanese weapons were exchanged for military merit points. Taking into account the rewards for killing enemies in the past two days, the balance of military merit points increased to 3445 million.
3000 military merit points were spent to purchase 1000 million rounds of bullets and 20 artillery shells to supplement the 4th Mechanized Infantry Division's subsequent operations in "Jesha".
If people knew that Xu Le only used the equivalent of 3 tons of steel to exchange for so many bullets and shells, they would probably hang themselves to prove whether they were dreaming.
The second thing Xu Le did when he came to Bhamo was to inspect the Irrawaddy River!
Although the river basin from Myitkyina to the south is navigable, the section to Bhamo is a bit complicated and it is easy for ships to run aground if they are not operated properly.
The truly unobstructed river basin starts from Bhamo, because there is a depression here, about 25 kilometers long and 5 kilometers wide on average, which is equivalent to a natural reservoir, gathering unstable water from the upstream here, and then flowing to the middle and lower reaches in a stable state.
When Xu Le looked over the water area from the air, he was so happy. This was simply a natural inland naval base!
He was even happier when he learned from local Burmese people that the average water depth was about 20 meters!
Because this not only means that hundreds of warships can sail here, but also submarine soldiers can train in the deepest areas!
This was a completely unexpected gain for him!
He originally planned to start submarine training after capturing Rangoon or Cheduba Island. After all, the submarine needs to be fully submerged in the water to be effective in training!