Chapter 295 Because You Are Their Biggest Backer! (Second Update!)

The Nanyang Task Force was expanded on the basis of the task force.

Of course, the main reason for this idea is based on the current strength of the Japanese army in Southeast Asia.

The telegram clearly stated that the Japanese Southern Army had more than 400,000 troops in Southeast Asia.

It would be impossible for their Sichuan Army Corps of tens of thousands of people to completely defeat the Japanese troops in Southeast Asia.

Therefore, the content of Cun Yunsheng's telegram elaborated in detail that if the Japanese army in Southeast Asia was to be completely defeated, the task force must be expanded.

However, the Sichuan Army was short of major generals and his own qualifications were not enough, so he thought that a general with rich qualifications should be selected to serve as the commander of the Nanyang Task Force.

After reading the telegram, Stilwell was silent for a long time.

In fact, he already regretted that he should not have served as the chief of staff of the Southeast Asia theater.

I originally thought that I would achieve great things here and become a famous general.

The results of it?
He regrets it now.

This shabby place is really a quagmire that has completely trapped him here.

If it wasn't for the coincidence that allowed me to take over the Sichuan Army and rely on them to create a situation in Indochina, I would probably have to return in disgrace.

But the subsequent offensive has been basically contained. If one wants to expand the offensive, he may have to follow Cun Yunsheng's proposal and require at least 200,000 elite troops.

But considering the current size of the Sichuan Army, two hundred thousand people?
Don't even think about it!

"What do you think?" After thinking for a while, Stilwell couldn't come up with any good solution, so he simply threw the question directly to his adjutant.

The adjutant was no fool and obviously knew that Stilwell was hesitating.

The reason for hesitation was simply that many places in Southeast Asia were colonies of the British army.

Admiral Wavell's attitude has softened a lot recently, so much so that Stilwell is in a much better mood.

Now Cun Yunsheng proposed to expand the size of the task force, which means offending the British army.

"General Stilwell, why are we here?" The adjutant did not answer directly but asked back.

Hearing this, Stilwell was stunned, and then he remembered the oath he had made in the White House.

That is to slow down the Japanese army's offensive speed in the Southeast Asian theater.

Looking back now, I had no control at all in the early days.

The British army didn't take him seriously at all.

Later, it was the appearance of the Sichuan Army that saved him.

"In order to delay the Japanese actions, but obviously we failed." In front of his adjutant, Stilwell's temper was still very good and he said helplessly.

"Yes, we failed, General Stilwell. These days I have been summarizing why I failed. It is because we were too considerate of the British's feelings. Many plans needed the British's consent before we could implement them."

"You are worried that the establishment of the South Sea Task Force will anger the British, but now the British need our support in many areas in order to survive." The adjutant looked puzzled at first, and then expressed his confusion.

Hearing this, Stilwell recalled his original oath and thought about what he was doing now.

"I understand. Send a fighter plane to kill Cun Yunsheng... No, I will go to Hanoi myself."

Originally, Stilwell wanted to ask Cun Yunsheng to come to Imphal, but after thinking about it, he decided to go there himself to show his sincerity and learn about the South China Sea Task Force, its specific organization and personnel, etc.

"Yes." The adjutant was stunned. He didn't expect that Stilwell would go there in person. It seemed that what he said really hit the other party's heart.

…………

In Qiongzhou, Lieutenant Colonel Cun Xingxing was so happy when he saw the latest telegram.

Unexpectedly, the navy sank the Japanese reinforcements, which means that in the short term, the Japanese army in Haikou will not receive any reinforcements.

This is good news.

"Commander, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions have occupied most of Qiongzhou and are currently resting in place, awaiting your orders." The combat staff officer came in with a telegram and reported quickly.

Upon hearing this, Lieutenant Colonel Cun Xingxing gave the order immediately without saying a word.

"Stop resting, everyone, head towards Haikou immediately. We must reach Haikou within two days and capture Haikou within three days. Our superiors have only given us five days, so we must speed up."

"Yes, but when the Second Battalion was attacking, it encountered a local guerrilla force. He didn't know how to deal with it, so he sent a telegram asking how to deal with this guerrilla force?" The combat staff officer nodded, and then told the problems encountered by the Second Battalion.

Upon hearing this, Lieutenant Colonel Cun Xingxing was stunned. Encountered guerrillas?
Are there still guerrillas on Qiongzhou Island?
It’s really rare.

"Give them some of the captured Japanese weapons. It's not easy for them. Qiongzhou has been occupied until now, but I didn't expect that there are still people who insist on fighting against the Japanese. Their spirit is worth learning from." After thinking for a while, Lieutenant Colonel Cun Xingxing decided to give them some of the unwanted Japanese equipment.

They were equipped with all American weapons and looked down upon the Japanese equipment.

"Yes." The operations staff nodded.

As a result, this goodwill received an unexpected surprise during the subsequent operation to capture Haikou.

"Also, send another telegram to your superiors to ask whether the troops in the Fourth War Zone have set out." Lieutenant Colonel Cun Xingxing thought for a moment and asked again.

After all, before setting off, Cun Yunsheng told him that the Fourth War Zone would send a troop to launch a feint attack.

The results of it?
So far there has been no movement.

This made him a little annoyed. Couldn't these people be more reliable?

"Yes." The operations staff nodded again.

The New Second Regiment's attack was swift, while Hong Kong's Rensuke Isogai slammed the table in anger.

"Baga, idiots, idiots, a bunch of idiots."

A destroyer, a coastal defense ship, and three gunboats were sunk, and the soldiers on the transport ship were also buried in the sea.

How could Rensuke Isogai not be angry in the face of such a huge loss?

This meant that he was completely out of the competition for the commander of the Southern Army.

The most depressed person should be Vice Admiral Fujita Ruitaro, commander of the Hong Kong naval fleet, who only has two destroyers.

Now that one ship has been sunk, there is only one destroyer left to hold the fort.

As for the remaining coastal defense ships and gunboats, they are completely useless.

In particular, the soldiers who escaped back reported that there was a cruiser on the opposite side.

Even if it is just a light cruiser, it is a warship of nearly 10,000 tons.

But it is not something that the destroyer weighing more than a thousand tons in his hands can deal with.

Not to mention the Thonburi coastal defense ship.

The opponent is equipped with 203mm naval guns.

The naval guns were sold by them, so he knew exactly how powerful they were.

After considering the strength of both sides, Vice Admiral Fujita Ruitaro knew that the remaining fleet in his hands could never be the opponent's match.

Unless Yamamoto Isoroku is willing to transfer the main fleet here, it would be good enough to be able to keep Hong Kong. But is it possible?
Not realistic at all!
Now it has reached a critical moment on Guadalcanal.

Once the main fleet is withdrawn, it would be tantamount to seeking death.

Thinking of this, Lieutenant General Fujita Ruitaro pretended to be dead.

Send troops?

I would never send troops even if you kill me.

"Mr. Fujita Rui, Haikou must not be lost. Can you ask Mr. Yamamoto to dispatch a fleet?" Before Isogai Liansuke could finish his words, he was interrupted by Vice Admiral Fujita Ruitaro.

"Governor, I'm sorry, but this is unrealistic. Why don't you seek help from the headquarters? I believe they will not watch Qiongzhou being lost."

What a joke!
If he dared to send this telegram, he would definitely be scolded by Yamamoto Isoroku.

Which is more important, a fleet of old warships or the main fleet of the US military?
Anyone who is not a fool can tell the difference.

As expected, upon hearing this, Rensuke Isogai's face instantly became gloomy, and no one knew what he was thinking.

"I see."

After saying that, he no longer paid any attention to the other person, but thought quietly about how to solve this mess next.

.........

On the other hand, when Cun Yunsheng learned that Stilwell was coming to Hanoi, he was stunned for a while.

This little old man actually came to see him in person?
Could it be that the content of his telegram was too shocking?

It shouldn’t be!

I thought about it for a long time and stayed up all night to figure it out.

"Sir, the old man Stilwell came to Hanoi in person. Could he be trying to seize power?" Meng Fanle guessed.

Hearing this, Cun Yunsheng glared at him unhappily.

"He is a lieutenant general of the Allied Forces, with a large amount of supplies. How could he be interested in a small group of people like me?"

"Then why is he here? Isn't he here for inspection?" Meng Fanle asked in confusion.

"It should still be about that telegram." Cun Yunsheng thought about it and this was the only thing.

"Sir, what did you write?" Meng Fanle was very curious about what the content was that would make Stilwell come here in person.

Unexpectedly, Cun Yunsheng did not answer, but asked Meng Fanle to arrange the airport pick-up, and also asked Xue Tian's guard battalion to select a company to form a parade team.

At the Hanoi airport, Cun Yunsheng watched the slowly landing transport plane, and immediately led his men forward and saluted Stilwell who had just walked down the ladder.

"General Stilwell, Hanoi welcomes you."

Looking at Cun Yunsheng, who was wearing an American military uniform and had the rank of brigadier general, Stilwell couldn't help but pat him on the shoulder.

"My dear Cun, I haven't seen you for a long time. I didn't expect you to look so much stronger now."

"Thank you for your praise." Cun Yunsheng said with a smile.

"Is this your troop? They are all a bunch of great guys, not bad." Looking at the troops standing still not far away, Stilwell suddenly became interested.

To be honest, he was also very curious about the combat effectiveness of the Sichuan Army. When he saw a whole company of soldiers standing still, he knew that Cun Yunsheng was indeed very skilled in leading troops.

Afterwards, Cun Yunsheng took Stilwell on a brief tour of Hanoi.

Hanoi was not very prosperous at that time, only because of the Governor-General's Office. Otherwise, it would not be as prosperous as Saigon.

When he arrived at the Governor's Palace and looked at the unique French romantic architectural style, Stilwell began to appreciate it.

After all, this style is in line with Stilwell's appreciation.

"Cun, the main reason I came to Hanoi this time is because of the plan you sent me about establishing the South China Sea Task Force. I would like to hear your opinion." In the conference room, Stilwell asked straight to the point.

Cun Yunsheng had long been accustomed to Stilwell's way of speaking.

When he heard this, Cun Yunsheng couldn't help but feel relieved. It was indeed about that telegram.

"Before answering this question, I would like to ask General Stilwell, are you satisfied with the situation in the Southeast Asian theater?" Cun Yunsheng did not answer immediately, but asked.

Hearing this, Stilwell's face looked a little unhappy. Although he had a bad temper, he was still very tolerant towards the officers he valued.

"Not satisfied," Stilwell admitted frankly.

"If it weren't for you, I'm afraid I would have to stay in Imphal and get stuck in a dispute with the British army."

Hearing this, Cun Yunsheng was stunned. Stilwell really has self-awareness.

In fact, if he had not appeared, Stilwell would probably still be arguing with the British army at this time.

"Thank you for the compliment, General Stilwell. I always think you are an excellent military strategist."

After a compliment was thrown to him, Stilwell smiled more often.

"But the development of the situation in the Southeast Asian theater is not worthy of your military rank at all," Cun Yunsheng continued.

"I have always believed that if you can completely eliminate the Japanese troops in the Southeast Asian theater, you will definitely become the first five-star general."

The adjutant next to him was completely stunned. He had never expected that Cun Yunsheng could say such a thing.

I thought he would say he was a four-star general at most.

result?

Just a five-star general?

He is really brave.

Stilwell did not get angry, but felt that what the other party said made sense.

If he could really defeat the Japanese army in the Southeast Asian theater, a mere five-star general would not be a problem.

"But at present, there are too many Japanese troops in the Southeast Asian war zone. I am outnumbered and weak alone. My prestige and qualifications are nothing to those people in Shancheng. There are restrictions on recruiting soldiers and everything else." Cun Yunsheng then bitterly expressed his grievances.

"So you propose to form the Nanyang Task Force? Incorporate the Sichuan Army, Yunnan Army, Guangxi Army, and Guangdong Army into it? Aren't these just some ragtag armies?" Stilwell said without thinking, obviously after reading the entire report.

"Yes, these ragtag troops are of no importance to the mountain city. It doesn't matter even if they are all wiped out." Cun Yunsheng explained.

"Because they have poor combat effectiveness, they are just cannon fodder and are not taken seriously by those people in the mountain city."

"But my Sichuan Army was once a group of cannon fodder. After training and equipped with excellent equipment, their combat effectiveness far exceeded that of the Japanese army. So I always believed that as long as these ragtag armies were trained and equipped with American equipment, they would be able to completely defeat the Southern Army."

"Another point is that these ragtag troops are not loved by their grandmas or uncles, have no backing, and cannot get supplies. They will never refuse to execute your orders like the regular troops. You should know the previous expeditionary forces. You were the commander of the expeditionary forces, but your orders could not be executed at all."

"This is also the reason why I suggested that the Nanyang Task Force should be formed by these miscellaneous troops. Because you are their biggest backer, your orders will be carried out without compromise."

　Never broke your promise!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)