Chapter 116: Die to show your determination, and fight bravely against the enemy!
"General, why is this happening?" Outside the city of Kunming, at the Fifth Army's base, Zhu Maoqin looked at Du Yuming in confusion.

He didn't understand why they gave up the action of supporting southwestern Yunnan?
Although the 200th Division suffered heavy losses, the losses of the rest of the troops were not great.

Especially after receiving a large amount of material supplies in Myitkyina, the combat effectiveness did not decrease much.

On the contrary, it was strengthened to a certain extent because of the American equipment provided by the Sichuan Army.

If the Fifth Army had headed to southwestern Yunnan at this time, it would have been able to inflict heavy damage on the Japanese army and even restore the China-Burma Highway.

Why stop the attack?

Zhu Maoqin really didn't understand. He still remembered that the military commander had promised the Sichuan Army Corps that he would use these weapons to inflict heavy damage on the Japanese army.

The results of it?
Do not send troops and abandon the previously formulated reinforcement plan.

"I am just following orders from my superiors." Du Yuming took a deep breath and said helplessly.

"What a shitty order! This is simply watching the country's loss. What on earth are the higher-ups thinking?" Zhu Maoqin cursed angrily.

"How can you talk like that?" The chief of staff couldn't help but scold.

Du Yuming, however, didn't care and just waved his hand.

"I understand your grief and anger, but this is an order from our superiors. The Fifth Army will be stationed in the Kunming area."

After hearing this, Zhu Maoqin understood immediately.

"I don't understand. It's already this time. Why are those people in Shancheng so prejudiced?"

Zhu Maoqin's voice sounded somewhat sad. Instead of thinking about resisting the Japanese army, he was still messing around with his own troops and the ragtag army.

He really didn't understand what those people in Shancheng were thinking.

Hearing this, Du Yuming fell silent and did not answer him.

Because he knew that this was indeed wrong, but he was a soldier and it was his duty to obey orders.

Looking at Du Yuming's expression, Zhu Maoqin also knew that this matter had nothing to do with him. Finally, he took a deep breath and said.

"General, I won't say anything else. You have promised the Sichuan Army to garrison Tengchong. Now everything west of the Nujiang River is abandoned, and Tengchong is also within the scope of abandonment."

"Are you just going to ignore it? The old man of the Cun family is 88 years old. Not to mention that General Cun Xingqi sacrificed his life for the country, even if he gave such a great help to our Fifth Army for the sake of Cun Yunsheng, you can't just sit there and do nothing, right?"

"Otherwise, how will others view our Fifth Army in the future?"

Du Yuming looked at Zhu Maoqin in surprise. He didn't expect that this guy was so loyal and righteous.

"I have asked the guard battalion to dispatch a company to Tengchong to pick up Mr. Cun. I guarantee that nothing will happen to him." Du Yuming's words made Zhu Maoqin breathe a sigh of relief. No matter what, nothing must happen to Mr. Cun, otherwise, they would really have no face to face the Sichuan Army.

We took so many things from them and said we would fight the Japanese army, but what was the result?
The Japanese army did not fight, but voluntarily gave up so much territory.

If something happens to Mr. Cun again, the Fifth Army will be criticized by others in the future.

"Okay, new recruits are about to arrive, and the artillery regiment must replenish the missing troops as soon as possible." Du Yuming said, and signaled Zhu Maoqin to leave.

After the other party left, the chief of staff couldn't help but speak.

"General, why don't you tell him the truth?"

"What truth are you telling? Are you saying that the higher-ups did it on purpose? They transferred the Fifth Army just to guard Long Yun?" Du Yuming sneered.

"I, as the army commander, will soon be on the bench."

The defeat of the 200th division made Shancheng think about preserving his strength.

Therefore, he directly rejected Du Yuming's strong request for support for southwestern Yunnan, and asked him to garrison near Kunming, ostensibly for rest and recuperation, but secretly to keep an eye on Long Yun.

Prevent these ragtag troops from becoming too powerful and threatening the status of the main line.

Du Yuming even suspected that when the war was over, Long Yun would be the first target.

Du Yuming felt very distressed about all this. He was not willing to accept it at all. He just wanted to lead his troops to fight and didn't want to care about anything else.

But he couldn't avoid these, which made him extremely distressed.

It just so happened that his superiors were planning to let him sit on the bench for a while, so he could take this opportunity to rest and recuperate.

Only half of the 100,000 expeditionary forces have returned, and someone must take responsibility for this.

In addition to the 66th Army whose designation was cancelled, two division commanders were also held accountable.

As the actual person in charge of the expeditionary force, he would naturally be put on ice for a period of time.

"General, don't worry. Your abilities are well known to everyone. You will be put back into service in a year at most," the chief of staff comforted.

"It doesn't matter. It's a good opportunity for me to go back to my hometown to recuperate. I've been fighting in battles all these years and have a lot of health problems. I'll take this opportunity to recuperate." Du Yuming waved his hand, indicating that he was not greedy for power at all.

Seeing this, the Chief of Staff didn't know what to say and could only sigh. In fact, Du Yuming was really wrongly blamed for this.

He is just the deputy commander, and there is a commander above him.

Not to mention how bad the British army is?

If it weren't for the British army, would the expeditionary force have suffered so much?

But in order not to damage the relationship with the Allied forces, Shancheng naturally had to have someone to take the blame, and Du Yuming was the most suitable candidate.

Du Yuming obviously knew all this, so he just agreed.

It's really a trap for honest people.

On the other side, Colonel Uesuke Hirai of the 56th Search Regiment was stunned for a long time after seeing the news from his subordinates.

"The opposing Second Reserve Division has withdrawn?"

"Yes, Colonel." His subordinate's words made him hesitate.

The main reason was that he was betrayed by the Sichuan Army. So now that he saw the Second Reserve Division voluntarily withdraw from Mangshi, he wondered if there was some conspiracy.

"Colonel, do you want to send troops to pursue?" the subordinate reminded cautiously.

"Well, send a squadron to chase after them. Remember not to get too close to see if there is an ambush. Remember to be vigilant. If you encounter a suspected ambush, be sure to search several times." It was the first time that Colonel Hirai Usuke was so timid.

In the past, when we heard that the Chinese army was retreating, we would shout and order the troops to pursue them.

But I don’t dare to do that now.

"Hi." The subordinate responded without saying much.

The result was beyond expectations. The Second Reserve Division seemed to have no will to fight, and even had no rearguard units, and kept retreating.

This made the pursuing troops a little confused, and they dared not chase too deep, for fear of being surrounded and eaten by the enemy.

"No ambush? Have the Chinese completely given up their defense?" Colonel Hirai Usuke still couldn't believe it.

After all, he was really surprised to capture Mangshi so easily.

I originally thought that there would be a certain price to pay, but who knew it would be so simple.

"Keep attacking."

Seeing that the 2nd Reserve Division had no will to fight, Colonel Hirai Usuke continued to issue orders to pursue.

After occupying Longling, they divided their troops into two routes, one to attack Tengchong and the other to attack Huirenqiao, preparing to reach Nujiang River in one go.

However, when attacking Tengchong, they encountered fierce resistance.

"Grandpa, we are from the Fifth Army Guard Battalion. Our commander asked us to take you away. You'd better pack up your things and go with us." At the Cun family's ancestral home in Tengchong, Grandpa Cun looked at the soldier in front of him, shook his head and said.

"I am already 88 years old. Even if I die, I will die in Tengchong."

"Young men, let's go. The Japanese army will soon reach Tengchong. Let's go quickly."

Hearing Cun Dajin's words, the soldiers of the guard company looked at each other, feeling helpless.

If they were young people, they would dare to use violence.

But they really didn't dare to do anything to the person in front of them.

Without mentioning his age, they would not dare to be presumptuous if they just said he was the grandfather of the commander of the Sichuan Army.

After all, the Fifth Army owed the Sichuan Army a great favor.

The American weapons and equipment they are equipped with now were all donated by the Sichuan Army.

Originally, they had promised the Sichuan Army Corps that they would guard southwestern Yunnan. However, who knew that the Fifth Army broke its promise and did not send troops to defend. Instead, it rested in Kunming.

Even southwestern Yunnan suffered from the ravages of war, which made them feel ashamed for a time.

If something happens to Mr. Cun again, their Fifth Army might really be stabbed in the back by the Sichuan Army.

"Captain, what should we do?" a soldier asked anxiously.

The Japanese army has appeared outside Tengchong City, and the troops defending the city are fighting with the Japanese army, but the gap between the weapons and ammunition of the two sides is too great, and they cannot hold out for long.

So there is not much time left for them.

"Old man, our commander has a very good relationship with Commander Cun Yunsheng of the Sichuan Army Corps. It was Commander Cun Yunsheng who asked us to take you away. The Japanese army will soon enter Tengchong, and it is not safe here." Although the guard company commander was very anxious inside, he spoke softly on the surface.

"It's Yunsheng. Then I can't leave. He is fighting outside the domain, and as his grandfather, I can't lose my homeland." Old Man Cun shook his head and rejected the other party's proposal.

"My Cun family has guarded Tengchong for generations. Our ancestors are here. Even if I die, I will never leave. You guys go, keep your bodies useful, and kill more devils."

"But..." The guard captain wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Old Man Cun.

"As for Yunsheng, don't worry, he will understand."

"This is the letter I wrote to him. I hope he can put national affairs first, kill the enemies to serve the country, and live up to the name of a man of the Cun family." After saying that, Old Man Cun handed the letter directly to the captain of the guards, then returned to the main hall without looking back and ignored them.

"Captain, what should we do? This is the mission assigned to us by the military commander." The soldier said anxiously.

They also didn't expect that Mr. Cun was so fearless of life and death that he would even die in Tengchong, which left them helpless.

"Retreat." The guard company commander gritted his teeth and decided to retreat first.

If we stay any longer, I'm afraid that more than a hundred people in the company will have to die.

In any case, he had done his duty, and all that remained was to bring the letters back safely.

The family letters that Grandpa Cun gave him included those from Cun Yunsheng and his other seven sons.

Holding this thick letter from home, the guard company commander's eyes became a little red.

After the Japanese army occupied Tengchong, Mr. Cun lamented that he was too old and weak to go to the battlefield to kill the enemy and defend his country.

Then he spoke to the old servant who had served him for most of his life.

"From now on, don't send me any food. I will starve myself to death to show my determination."

"Master..." The servant immediately burst into tears.

“Don’t be sad. Everyone has to die, some are lighter than a feather, some are heavier than Mount Tai.” After saying this, Mr. Cun sat under a thousand-year-old fir tree that was broken by lightning, looking at Tengchong City in the distance.

This city, which he had guarded for his entire life and resisted the invasion of the British army, ultimately could not escape the fate of being occupied by the Japanese army.

The ancestor of the Cun family, Cun Dajin, was unfilial and allowed the Japanese pirates to occupy Tengchong.

I hope the men of Cun family can learn from their mistakes and then be brave enough to kill the enemies bravely to repay the country.

May our motherland prosper! Long live our nation!

　Fifth update! Update first, then revise!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)