Chapter 225: Are Cannon Fodder Enough? (First Update!)

Cun Yunsheng did not expect that the German army would be so powerful and take over the port of Alexandria in one fell swoop.

Normally, the Allied forces still had nearly 200,000 troops in Alexandria.

Not only that, the Allies also had thousands of tanks, more than 500 fighter planes, and hundreds of artillery pieces.

In contrast, the number of German artillery, tanks and fighter planes was only half of that of the Allies.

As a result, the German army captured Alexandria.

This is indeed surprising.

In fact, it was because the German army dispatched hundreds of fighter planes to support the North African Corps.

In addition, the naval fleets of the four countries outside Alexandria Port continued to attack the Allied positions with naval guns.

Japanese carrier-based aircraft also joined the battle to cooperate with the German attack.

Finally, Montgomery, unable to bear the pressure any longer, decided to retreat to Cairo.

Hand over Alexandria.

All the supplies in the port of Alexandria were given to the German army for nothing.

Looking at the mountains of supplies, Rommel's mouth was filled with joy.

We were originally still having a headache over logistical supplies.

Now just eat until you are full.

There was no shortage of fuel, and even countless tanks, planes, and artillery were captured.

The North African Legion, which had been stretched to its limits, suddenly expanded again.

Especially in terms of artillery, there are more than one thousand of them.

Such a terrifying number naturally made the German army extremely inflated, and they felt they could reach Cairo in one go.

But it also drove the Allies into madness.

If Cairo was really lost.

This means that the Suez Canal is also lost.

That would definitely be a huge blow to the Allied forces.

So the British army is now completely crazy.

Cairo must not be lost.

This is their bottom line.

In order to defend Cairo, the British army directly asked the US army to dispatch elite troops to support Cairo.

Especially the navy. Now that the British army has lost its Mediterranean fleet, the main force of the Royal Fleet is needed in the Atlantic to suppress the German Navy and it cannot be mobilized.

The navies of the four countries were still wreaking havoc in the Mediterranean, so they wanted to ensure that Cairo would not be lost.

The Allies had to dispatch their main fleet to the Mediterranean to suppress the navies of the four countries.

Currently, the only Allied force that can withdraw warships is the US military.

Now the pressure is on the US military, if they are unwilling to withdraw their warships.

Then Cairo will inevitably fall, and the chain reaction it will cause will be huge.

The situation in India had deteriorated to the extreme. Without reinforcements, India might really fall.

Admiral Wavell sent another telegram to Stilwell, hoping that he could transfer the Sichuan Army Corps to Tianzhu.

It is not enough to rely on the New First Army alone.

Because the Japanese army's movements could not be concealed from the British army at all.

According to intelligence, the Japanese army will mobilize five to ten divisions this time.

That is to say, at least 100,000 people, and possibly 200,000 people.

Including more than 60,000 people from India.

This is already a huge number.

The New First Army of more than 20,000 people is of little use.

Stilwell also knew the priorities of the matter. He knew that if India, Cairo and the Suez Canal were lost, the situation would become truly critical.

So he sent a telegram to Cun Yunsheng, and the meaning was very clear.

How many people are there in the Sichuan Army? Can they advance westward immediately?

"This is to make us move westward." After reading the telegram, Cun Yunsheng threw it to Meng Fan and sneered.

"But we only have more than 10,000 people, what use can we be?" Meng Fanle said in a daze after reading the telegram.

The more than 20,000 people in the New First Army are useless.

Not to mention, there are tens of thousands of them.

And some of them are still new recruits and are still in training.

"Commander, what do you mean?" Meng Fanle knew that Cun Yunsheng must have a way, otherwise he would not have said this.

"The anti-fascist struggle cannot rely on just one person. We need more people to stand up. The natives in Yangon have organized more than 50,000 people, and Long Wenjian has transferred more than 30,000 people there."

"Send another telegram to Stilwell, suggesting that some troops be transferred from Shancheng as well."

"It depends on whether Shancheng can wake up and take this opportunity to lower the price." Cun Yunsheng shook his head and said.

Hearing this, Meng Fan was stunned. He didn't expect that Cun Yunsheng would actually order Long Wenjian's indigenous resistance army to send out 30,000 troops.

What good are those 30,000 people?
I guess going there would only do more harm than good.

and many more!

Meng Fanle looked at Cun Yunsheng with a puzzled look. Could it be that he did it on purpose?
It's really possible!
As for sending troops from Shancheng, it was probably just a side job.

"Are 30,000 people too many?" Meng Fanle hesitated for a moment and asked.

"A lot? I think it's too little. Let's see if we can get some from other places, maybe 50,000 or 100,000, to let Stilwell see our sincerity." Cun Yunsheng looked like he didn't understand.

In addition to elite troops, war also requires cannon fodder.

And these natives are the best cannon fodder.

Didn’t you see that the British army organized hundreds of thousands of indigenous troops to serve as cannon fodder?

What's more, these natives have no good intentions.

"So many? Stilwell must be crazy?" Meng Fanle looked at Cun Yunsheng in disbelief.

Stilwell would definitely be furious if so many cannon fodders were sent.

Moreover, since Fettig came, Meng Fanle clearly felt that his boss' confidence was different.

Does this person have such great power?

If Cun Yunsheng knew his true thoughts, he would definitely sneer, because he did not understand Fetig's abilities.

What Cun Yunsheng is most looking forward to now is that the German army can transport all the equipment he needs.

With this batch of equipment, it will be no problem to set up our own production line relying on the mountains in northern Myanmar.

At that time, there would be no need to worry about Stilwell strangling his lifeline.

"How much? I think he might think it's too little. Let Long Wenjian think of a way to transfer more natives over." Cun Yunsheng looked nonchalant.

"What we have the most here is natives. Why are there so many natives in Siam?"

"Just tell Stilwell that within a month, we can form an army of 200,000 and send it to Imphal. As for weapons, equipment and military pay, Stilwell will have to take care of it himself."

"If I were Stilwell, I would ask the British army for reimbursement. The British are not short of money. At this time of life and death, why don't they sell off the wealth accumulated over hundreds of years?"

"Especially their museum, there are a lot of good things there." Cun Yunsheng sneered.

Hearing this, Meng Fan looked confused and didn't quite understand what this meant.

Cun Yunsheng was not surprised by this, but waved his hand.

"Just telegraph Stilwell what I mean, and he'll understand."

"Yes." Meng was annoyed and had to follow the order.

…………

Stilwell, who received the telegram, looked confused.

The first batch of 30,000 troops has set out from Rangoon.

Within the next month, a force of 200,000 troops could be formed and sent to Imphal.

Is the Sichuan Army so strong now?

The results are revealed upon closer inspection!
Stilwell was so angry that he laughed. They were just a bunch of natives, what good were they?

But it is useful to boost morale. The key is to have elite troops leading the way.

The situation is extremely critical right now.

The Allies retreated to the Cairo area to defend, but Montgomery lost almost all of his heavy equipment.

This will be very unfavorable for the subsequent defense.

Especially after the German army seized a large number of supplies in the port of Alexandria, it became stronger in both men and horses.

Not surprisingly, Montgomery's chances of holding Cairo were slim.

So now the Allies are stepping up the pace of withdrawing troops from all over the place.

First, the British army drew three elite infantry divisions and one armored division from its homeland.

Secondly, the US military also dispatched two armored divisions and is on its way.

In addition, the US military has dispatched a task force from the Atlantic Fleet. The fleet, consisting of two aircraft carriers, a battleship, and several heavy cruisers, is sailing at full speed towards the eastern Mediterranean.

The British fleet retreating to East Africa was also accelerating its reorganization, preparing to join the Australian Navy and march together to the Red Sea, and then to the eastern Mediterranean through the Suez Canal in the east.

The joint action of the four navies did indeed completely anger the British army.

So this time, the British army chose to ignore even the German army's actions in the North Sea.

The purpose is to completely strangle the naval fleets of the four countries.

At the same time, the US military also accelerated the pace of reinforcements.

The speed at which the furious Allied forces sent in reinforcements was beyond everyone's expectations.

The only headache is Tianzhu.

Because Tianzhu had captured a lot of spoils, Kawabe Masamitsu generously took out a large amount of oil and asked the navy to escort the transportation of soldiers.

The navy, which was worried about oil, had no choice but to take on this task.

Help the Army to transport soldiers.

Who made the Navy fight another naval battle near Guadalcanal?

If we lose this time, we’ll be completely finished.

In order to strengthen its own foundation, the navy had to help the army transport personnel.

Naturally, the news of the Japanese troop increase could not be concealed from the Allies.

Admiral Wavell, upon learning that the Japanese army was going to send more troops, was instantly overwhelmed.

If they couldn't handle the Japanese army of more than 60,000 people, wouldn't they be completely crazy if there were another 100,000 or 200,000?
So he frantically sent telegrams to Stilwell, asking him to help solve the India problem first.

This is why Stilwell sent a telegram to the Sichuan Army.

Originally, Stilwell hoped that the Sichuan Army would return directly to Imphal and head to India.

But after reading the Sichuan Army's analysis, Stilwell fell silent.

They had just captured Bangkok and were forcing Siam to surrender.

If successful, it would be a huge blow to the Axis powers.

In fact, Siam was not far from surrendering, after all, they were the essence of fence-sitters.

Second only to Italy.

To withdraw the Sichuan Army now would mean that all previous efforts would be in vain.

After reading the telegram, Stilwell sighed lightly. He also knew that the other party was telling the truth.

Moreover, the tens of thousands of people in the Sichuan Army may seem like a lot, but in fact, considering the global situation, they are of little use.

Only in Southeast Asia is it okay to bully the natives.

However, later Cun Yunsheng gave him a very considerate suggestion, which was to draw troops from Shancheng.

The Fifth Army in Kunming has completed its reorganization, as long as Stilwell is willing to equip it with American weapons.

We can definitely mobilize more elite troops.

Of course, the Sichuan Army will not lag behind and will provide more indigenous cannon fodder to build roads and bridges, help the army transport supplies, etc.

It has to be said that Cun Yunsheng's suggestion touched Stilwell's heart.

It was the eating, drinking, defecating and urinating of these hundreds of thousands of troops that gave him a headache.

Stilwell could not carry such a heavy burden alone.

After pondering for a long time, Stilwell decided that it would be better to involve Admiral Wavell and that the British army must provide more than half of the supplies.

Admiral Wavell, who had already tried every possible means to save his life, had no choice but to agree to Stilwell's request.

At the same time, they also raised their own protests, saying that the indigenous people did not need so much.

After all, the British army is not short of natives.

However, Stilwell rejected his proposal on the grounds that for such a long distance, the elite troops would always need the second-line troops to provide supplies for transportation.

Moreover, the huge momentum will make the Japanese army fearful.

After all, the Japanese army didn’t know that these hundreds of thousands of troops were all indigenous people?
After dealing with Admiral Wavell, Stilwell sent another telegram to Shancheng. The meaning was very clear. The war in India was related to the overall situation. He hoped that Shancheng could send another expeditionary force to support the Allied forces in retaking India first.

To show sincerity, the Allies will increase weapons aid, and these weapons will be sold at extremely low prices.

After reading Stilwell's telegram, the mountain city fell into silence.

You got cheated so badly last time, and now it happens again?
And they are the British Army.

But for the sake of military assistance, they had no choice but to agree.

When the order was sent to the Fifth Army Command in Kunming, Qiu Qingquan was dumbfounded.

"Another expedition? Is it to India this time?"

This is not just a matter of crossing a river, but a battle thousands of miles away. I don't know how many people will die in a foreign land.

"Commander, this is absolutely unacceptable." Many officers raised objections.

The last time we went into Burma to fight, we were badly defeated.

This time it's further.

It is possible that all members will be killed.

Once bitten, twice shy.

They now have a natural distrust of the British army.

After listening to the advice of his subordinates, Qiu Qingquan also began to back down.

If it was just entering Burma to fight, he could still accept it.

After all, he was involved in the competition for the position of commander of the New First Army last time.

But going to a place like India is too far away.

Thinking of this, Qiu Qingquan decided to use his connections to get him transferred.

After all, he is the direct descendant of the four major factions.

As expected, he was indeed transferred.

Du Yuming, who had been sitting on the bench, was appointed commander of the Fifth Army and concurrently served as commander-in-chief of the Expeditionary Force.

Compared to the last time when the deputy commander took the blame, this time it's the full-time commander.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that this is a trap.

But he jumped in anyway.

In addition, all the troops near southwestern Yunnan were incorporated into the expeditionary force.

A total of more than 100,000 people were all under the command of Du Yuming.

"General, you are back again." The commander of the artillery regiment, Zhu Maoqin, was the first to congratulate.

After being on the bench, Du Yuming became much calmer and understood a lot of things.

However, his duty as a soldier made him accept the appointment without hesitation.

So some people jokingly call him the fire brigade on the battlefield.

"Yes, I didn't expect you to come back again." Du Yuming said with a complicated expression.

"General, you shouldn't have come back. This time is more difficult than the last time." Zhu Maoqin sighed.

Anyone who is not a fool can see that this time it will definitely be more difficult.

"I know." When he took office, Du Yuming took a look at the troops under his command. Except for the Fifth Army, the others were newly formed troops. It was obvious that Shancheng was not optimistic about this expedition.

　I adjusted my work and rest schedule and stayed up until midnight every day to finish writing. I was suffering from severe mental weakness. Recently, I adjusted my work and rest schedule and tried to finish writing during the day and go to bed early at nine or ten in the evening!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)