Chapter 201 If he doesn't want to take action, then we will take the initiative! (The third update!)

In Imphal, Stilwell looked at the New First Army which had just completed its initial reorganization with high spirits.

Originally, the reorganization plan was to last about a year, but the advantage gained by the Sichuan Army was too great.

So he shortened the reorganization plan, and with the restoration of the China-Burma Highway, personnel and materials could be transported to Imphal quickly.

The reorganization was completed very smoothly.

According to the plan, the New First Army has two divisions, more than 30,000 people.

It is no weaker than the German-equipped division at the beginning of the war.

Even stronger in firepower.

In addition to heavy artillery, tanks were also equipped.

In other words, except for having your own plane, you have everything you need.

Just as he was about to order the New First Army to attack Mandalay.

As a result, we received news that the Japanese army had fled.

Yes!

Just run away.

The Japanese army directly abandoned Mandalay and turned westward to join Mutaguchi Ren'ya's troops.

This time, Stilwell was completely confused.

Why haven't you fought yet?
Just ran away?
How can this make you look awesome?
This immediately made Stilwell depressed.

I originally wanted to let the Japanese troops in Mandalay experience my strength.

Who knew it would be this kind of situation.

Not only was he confused, but even the New 1st Army, which had just completed assembly, didn't know what to do.

Should we continue attacking or do something else?

Stilwell came to his senses and had to let the New First Army stand by for the time being.

Since the Japanese troops had fled, he had no reason to send troops.

After all, this territory is nominally still a British colony.

Before, he fought in the name of driving out the Japanese troops, but now the cause is gone.

If he sends troops again, he will be given an excuse.

Just when Stilwell was depressed, Cun Yunsheng flew to Imphal.

When he saw Cun Yunsheng again, Stilwell forced a smile.

"Cun, you've done a good job. I believe it won't be long before Siam surrenders and the Axis powers will be weakened again." Stilwell congratulated.

Seeing that Stilwell was not in high spirits, Cun Yunsheng did not ask any other questions.

He also didn't expect that Kawabe Masamitsu would be willing to give up everything and head west to meet up with Mutaguchi Ren'ya.

This was indeed beyond his expectations.

It was originally thought that the Japanese army would be attacked from both the north and the south and eventually be wiped out.

I didn’t expect the other party to be so decisive. They directly abandoned Mandalay and took all the supplies to the west.

Unless Stilwell is willing to let the newly formed First Army move westward to pursue the Japanese, the Japanese will dive into the sea in Tianzhu.

By then, it would be impossible for the British army to destroy these tens of thousands of Japanese troops.

"General Stilwell, this is not the issue at the moment. The problem is that the Vichy French army has joined the war. They have sent troops to Cambodia and attacked Kengtung." Cun Yunsheng was interrupted by Stilwell before he could finish his words.

He looked at the other person with an expression of disbelief.

"How is this possible? The French army cannot possibly send troops."

Before this, Cun Yunsheng asked him to allocate ten transport planes to replenish supplies to the Sichuan Army.

At that time, Stilwell did not think much about it and thought it was transporting supplies to the indigenous resistance in Rangoon.

Who knew that it was actually used to attack the French army, which made him a little confused.

"I'm sorry, General Stilwell, this is true. After our bloody battle, we defeated the French invasion and killed thousands of French troops."

"At the same time, our troops have entered Cambodia and are currently advancing at full speed. It is expected that they will reach Hanoi in a short time." After Cun Yunsheng finished speaking confidently, he looked at Stilwell.

"Not long ago, the French army sent a telegram, hoping to negotiate peace with us."

"I think only you can decide on the peace talks, so I flew to Imphal to report this matter to you alone."

After hearing Cun Yunsheng's words, Stilwell felt like he was dreaming.

First the Japanese army ran away, and now the French army comes to negotiate peace.

Ok!

Could there be anything more ridiculous than this?
Of course, this isn't too far-fetched.

After all, this is an old tradition of the French army.

"Cun, you did a great job. It's really not your turn to come forward to negotiate peace. I know Governor Degu quite well. He's an arrogant and stubborn old man." Stilwell said admiringly.

Little did he know that when he said this, Cun Yunsheng felt a lot of complaints in his heart.

Aren’t you also a grumpy old man?

How dare you talk about others?

However, I naturally didn't dare say this to his face.

We should at least give others some face.

"General Stilwell, do you mean that you also agree with peace talks?" Cun Yunsheng asked with a confused look on his face.

"Negotiation? No, if this stubborn old man proposes peace, we will agree to it immediately. He may think we are showing weakness." Stilwell shook his head and said.

"We can fight and talk at the same time."

"Oh? Why?" Cun Yunsheng looked at Stilwell with some surprise.

I didn’t expect that this little old man could have such cognition?
"What is our purpose?" Stilwell asked in return.

"Of course, it is to force the Japanese army to surrender." Cun Yunsheng said without thinking.

Hearing this, Stilwell's expression froze obviously, but it could not be said that what he said was wrong.

After all, that is indeed the purpose.

"This is the ultimate goal. At present, we still need to force the Vichy French Army to stand on the side of the Free French Army. In this way, our strength will be enhanced." Stilwell first affirmed, and then said again.

"The most we can do in the peace talks is to pay some compensation. However, the Allies don't need this amount of compensation. What we need is to weaken the strength of the Axis powers."

"So it is best to fight and negotiate at the same time. Only in this way can we force Governor Degu to make a choice and surrender to us."

"With their joining, the entire Indochina Peninsula will be ours. Then I can use the leapfrog tactics to attack important islands of the Japanese army."

I have to say that Stilwell saw things very clearly.

But one thing here is that the interests of the Sichuan Army were not taken into consideration at all.

This is the most outrageous thing.

Because there was no mention from beginning to end about what the Sichuan Army would gain.

Does this mean that the Sichuan Army will soon be kicked out?

This is normal. After all, in the eyes of Western powers, they are just pawns. When they are almost used up, they will be kicked out.

What's more, now that we have the Indochina Peninsula in our hands, the next battle will definitely go very smoothly as long as we occupy Luzon Island.

The Japanese troops on the front line would probably collapse.

By then the war will end early.

Is this probably what Stilwell really thinks?
In an instant, a cold light flashed in Cun Yunsheng's eyes.

Force the French army to surrender?

Join the Allies?

The idea is really good!
But the interests of the Sichuan Army were not considered at all.

very sorry!
In this case, then this battle has to be fought.

"You are right, but the French army is not so easy to defeat, and the natives of Annan are not easy to deal with. Until now, it has not been completely conquered." Cun Yunsheng wanted to change the subject.

The land of Annan has rebelled countless times since ancient times and has been an ungrateful wretch countless times. As long as you read a little bit of ancient books, you will know that it is impossible for them to surrender, and even if they surrender, it will only be temporary.

Even though the French army occupied this place for decades, they were still dragged down by the rebellion.

In the end, they just lost this place.

Even the US military suffered a disastrous defeat here. The only way is to completely eliminate these natives.

But that's impossible.

After all, that would cause a huge shock.

I'm afraid even Stilwell would find it difficult to control it.

"This is indeed a problem, so we just need the French army to surrender and ignore everything else." Stilwell nodded.

He also has some understanding of Annan's situation.

So there was no doubt about Cun Yunsheng's words.

"So what you mean is that I should go back and continue fighting the French army?" Cun Yunsheng asked.

"Let's continue fighting first. As for the peace talks, I will handle it. I can contact De Gu directly. This guy has always been a fence-sitter." Stilwell looked disdainful.

"Only by completely defeating the enemy on the battlefield can we persuade them to surrender."

"Once the Vichy French army joins us, the following battle will be very easy, and the Sichuan Army's task will be greatly reduced." Stilwell patted Cun Yunsheng on the shoulder and said with a smile.

Seeing this, Cun Yunsheng had no choice but to nod and said nothing more, and then made some requests for equipment.

For example, tanks.

At present, the Sichuan Army’s advancement in Siam is not going smoothly.

Especially after the Japanese army reinforced the 4th Division to Bangkok, the Sichuan Army temporarily stopped its offensive.

Therefore, forcing Siam to surrender is impossible for the time being.

This time, in addition to discussing the French peace talks, the purpose was to get more tanks.

That number of tanks is simply not enough.

When he heard that it was the 4th Division, Stilwell was stunned at first. He was not aware of the 4th Division's strange history.

After all, the Japanese army is not stupid. How could they possibly publicize the glorious history of the 4th Division to the outside world?

Therefore, Stilwell subconsciously thought that the 4th Division was a truly elite division.

After a moment of silence, he felt that with the current strength of the Sichuan Army, it would be unable to defeat the Fourth Division.

After all, he is ranked so high, he must be the elite among the elite.

In the end, it was decided to give another thirty tanks, including 20 M3 tanks and ten M4 tanks.

Stingy!

Cun Yunsheng’s first reaction was to be stingy.

It seems like this guy really wants to restrict the development of the Sichuan Army?

It seems that the Vichy French army's peace talks made this old man a little inflated.

I have to find another way.

Either way, it's not a good sign.

Next, the Sichuan Army’s development pace must be accelerated.

Another thing is to create some trouble to give Stilwell a headache.

Let him know that without the Sichuan Army, he can't do anything.

Otherwise, once the French army really surrendered.

By then, there will be tens of thousands of Vichy French troops, plus more than 30,000 troops stationed in India.

The few people he has are indeed not enough.

It's all my fault, I hit it too fast.

Let this old man swell up.

People always say that keeping an enemy at bay is a good way to protect yourself. Why haven’t I fully realized this?
After Cun Yunsheng left, Stilwell asked someone to call Governor De Gu who was far away in Hanoi.

"Governor Degu, peace talks are not an option. As long as you immediately declare your independence from Vichy France and join the Free French, the Sichuan Army Corps can stop the attack." Stilwell said mercilessly as soon as the call was connected.

There was no pleasantries, the main focus was on being direct and straightforward.

Hearing this, Governor Degu became furious.

"General Stilwell, do you know what you are talking about? Vichy France has not lost yet. I still have tens of thousands of troops to continue fighting."

"Do you want to be buried with that old guy Pétain?" Stilwell asked sarcastically.

We are all old acquaintances, there is nothing to hide.

"Hmph, General Stilwell, this is absolutely impossible unless you can defeat me." Governor Degu was immediately furious and yelled.

"You have no sincerity in negotiating."

"Peace talks? I don't think there is any meaning in peace talks. All the Japanese troops in Burma have been annihilated. The main force of the Allied forces will soon occupy Burma. The next target is Siam. Once we take them down, Governor Degu, how will you deal with it?" Stilwell said mercilessly.

If the advantage was not obvious, he would definitely not have this attitude.

But now that the Allies have the upper hand, their attitude will naturally be more arrogant.

As expected, Governor Degu was stunned when he heard the news.

I still place my hopes on the Japanese army.

I hope they can be strong enough to attack the Sichuan Army from behind, so that the Sichuan Army on the front line will definitely withdraw.

At that time, the French army can take the opportunity to pursue and kill them.

The results of it?
The Japanese army is gone.

How is this played?
For a moment, Governor Degu fell into silence.

"Governor Degu, think carefully. You don't have much time left. If you surrender now, there is still hope. For the sake of Free France, we can keep your dignity." Stilwell said again.

Stilwell had gradually felt that the Sichuan Army was becoming too powerful to be controlled, so he allocated some resources to the New First Army.

But this is far from enough, so winning over the Vichy French army is the best strategy.

As long as the Vichy French army surrenders, he will be able to control more troops.

"Let me think about it again." This time, Governor Degu was no longer as arrogant as before, but his attitude became much more moderate.

"Okay, I'll give you three days at most. If there is no news after three days, I will let the Sichuan Army continue the attack." Stilwell said lightly.

"Yes." Governor Degu didn't say anything else and directly and decisively answered the phone.

Stilwell was not surprised by this, and his originally depressed mood suddenly became better.

Just then, his phone rang again.

Just when he thought that Governor Degu had agreed, he heard the angry voice of Admiral Wavell on the opposite side.

"General Stilwell, why did the Japanese 55th Division move westward? Isn't this your fault?"

The first question he asked made Stilwell furious.

If it were in the past, he would have definitely endured it.

Do you still need to endure now?
We have our own men, guns, and a steady supply of supplies, so why should we have to look after the British army?

So, Stilwell made a direct sarcasm.

"Admiral Wavell, is it possible that the British army cannot defeat a mere division? This is not the strength of the British Empire."

Admiral Wavell was furious when he heard this.

I was a little skeptical at first, but now I am completely convinced that it was definitely Stilwell who deliberately allowed the Japanese army to advance westward.

"General Stilwell, do you know what the consequences of all this are?" Admiral Wavell said threateningly.

"Consequences? No, I only know that my responsibility is to drive out the Japanese troops in the Southeast Asian war zone." Stilwell said pointedly.

"I hope you can remember this." After saying that, Admiral Wavell hung up the phone.

Cun Yunsheng, who returned to Lashio, also looked very indifferent.

"Commander, what's wrong? What happened?" Meng Fan could tell at a glance that Cun Yunsheng's face looked a little unhappy, so he asked hurriedly.

"Hmph, this old guy Stilwell is going to be abandoned after he has done his job." Cun Yunsheng said coldly.

"What? So fast?" Meng Fan was dumbfounded. How could it be so fast?

"It's not that I want to get rid of him now, but he had this idea. He asked me to continue attacking Annan and force the French to surrender. Not only that, I asked him to add a batch of tanks, but he only gave me 30 tanks. If I remember correctly, Imphal had hundreds of tanks, but he only gave me this little. Is this like giving away a beggar?" Cun Yunsheng continued.

"I was originally planning to propose some plans to dismember French colonies. Now it seems that I was just overthinking it. The only thing Stilwell was interested in was the British colonies. As for the French colonies, Stilwell had no such plans at all. In his eyes, it should be tacitly agreed that France would continue to control these colonies."

"Since he is unwilling to do it, then we have to do it ourselves."

　It’s three o’clock!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)