bookrandom Chapter 201 Strategic Defeat
Chapter 201 Strategic Defeat
After receiving the order, Qin Shi finally woke up from his dream. They had really made a huge mistake this time. This would likely affect the strategic layout of the flower-growing family. A small stone dropped into the calm lake caused a thousand waves.
Qin Shi immediately ordered Luo Bing and Tang Xuesi to launch a seemingly reckless attack, even if it meant sacrificing many men. They should create a loophole and then suffer a crushing defeat. Then, they should abandon all their supplies and retreat! Tang Xuesi was bewildered, not understanding why retreating would come at such a high price. This time, Qin Shi, for once, scolded them: "You two sons of bitches are always trying to fight, and now you've won the battle. The 1st Division will fail this time without suffering serious consequences. You better take care of yourself and don't try to be petty. Orders must be strictly followed. I'm telling you, if you don't follow through, the higher-ups will really want your heads this time!"
Luo Bing suddenly realized he had stirred up a hornet's nest of strategic foes. Clearly, Bai Chongxi had followed instructions from higher-ups to attack Mandalay, strictly ordering Liao Yaoxiang to engage aggressively while limiting his effectiveness. This was undoubtedly a carefully orchestrated chess game. It was foreseeable that Liao Yaoxiang's 22nd Army would inevitably suffer a defeat, allowing the Japanese in Burma to catch their breath. Presumably, the attack on Vietnam would also be a bluff, ultimately ending in failure.
The Flower Clan is trying to show weakness to the United States, while also giving Xiaozizi a chance to clash with the United States on the island. You say a small independent army division has such a record and such combat power. How can the Flower Clan pretend? This is nothing but a huge hole.
Now, this hole had to be filled by himself. How could a single army fill this hole? Luo Bing shook his head helplessly. His 1st Division was likely to be severely damaged this time. If things went wrong, Lao Liao's 22nd Army would also suffer a Waterloo. He dared not dwell on it any further. Gritting his teeth, he ordered the 2nd Regiment to charge forward recklessly, exposing themselves to that brat Yamamoto Kazuaki. After giving the order, Luo Bing huddled in a corner, tears streaming down his face...
As Luo Bing had predicted, Liao Yaoxiang's new 22nd Division, advancing on Mandalay, was suddenly bombed by friendly forces. Suffering heavy losses, they were forced to retreat to Ruibao, ending the entire campaign. It's said that the bombing was carried out by the newly formed 3rd Air Wing of the Chinese Air Force. Their frontline commander had been given incorrect coordinates, leading to the tragedy. Overwhelmed by this, the commander committed suicide.
The shrewd Yamamoto Kazuaki seized the opportunity, inflicting heavy damage on Luo Bing's 1st Division and ultimately routing it. Similarly, Qin Shi, brimming with pride after his surprise attack on the 1rd Division, attempted to use a separate independent army division to advance westward and seize the strategic position of Dongdunzhi. After breaching several key Japanese strongholds along the way, Qin Shi's intentions were exposed. Caught between a pincer attack from the north and south, the 53st Independent Army suffered heavy losses and was forced to abandon the vast quantities of heavy weapons captured from the 1rd Division before retreating eastward in disgrace.
Qin Shi had added this action himself. Since he was acting, he might as well act it out. This was also Qin Shi saving himself and the First Independent Army. After all, the First Independent Army was primarily composed of overseas Chinese. Exposing too much of their strength would not only be inconsistent with the grand strategy of the Flower Cultivation Clan, but also with the smaller strategies formulated by their brothers.
Qin Shi perfectly closed the gap with the crushing defeat of the 1st Independent Army. Bai Chongxi, Zheng Dongguo, and others were delighted. It seemed Huang Wei's men were still quite alert. Well, I'll let them off this time. You know, the Flower Planting Clan's leaders had begun to take notice of the unusually developed forces of Huang Wei and others, waiting for an opportunity to teach them a lesson. The 1st Independent Army had already offered themselves up for dead, and Bai Chongxi had already raised his knife. Qin Shi's action gave himself an opportunity, as well as the 1st Independent Army.
In fact, the flower-growing family's actions went beyond this. Back home, a mysterious piece of crucial intelligence regarding Chinese troop movements quietly reached the Japanese East China Expeditionary Force headquarters. Upon receiving this intelligence, Gangcun was overjoyed and, without consulting headquarters, rushed into action.
With lightning speed, the Japanese army suddenly launched an offensive, their offensive like a hurricane, breaking through several key strategic locations of the Flower Planting Family overnight. They even nearly completely penetrated the north-south artery, forcing the Flower Planting Family to urgently order the Southern Front Army to move north to deal with the imminent crisis at home.
This remarkable move by the Flower Clan caused a global uproar. The first reaction from the United States was, "Aside from a handful of generals, the Flower Clan lacks any real talent. The elite troops have been withdrawn, leaving behind a motley crew. No matter how advanced their weapons are, they're useless; they're hopeless."
The Soviet Union's thinking was more direct: "After we get through this difficult time, we will take back everything we lost, little by little!"
Britain and Japan were ecstatic. Britain's plan was to deplete the elite forces of the Flowering Empire to the maximum extent possible, ensuring that the British Empire could maintain control over the Flowering Empire after the war. Japan's ambitions were even greater, seeking to divert as many of the Flowering Empire's main forces as possible. As long as they could defeat the United States, Greater East Asia would sooner or later become theirs.
The thinking of the German Third Reich was simple and brutal, "I am the best in the world, in one word: do it!" They firmly believed in their own strength and were ready to show their skills in this ever-changing situation.
On this complex international stage, various forces have ulterior motives, and where will the fate of the Flower Planting Family go?
Huang Wei, Wang Congwu, and Liu Molong, who were all in the Soviet Union, took time to get together and analyze the pros and cons of Qin Lao San's operation. In Liu Molong's words, "Brother San, this time, he can do it!"
Huang Wei took the opportunity to remind the two that for the next period of time, the brothers must keep a low profile. Wang Congwu was quite worried about Kuang Zhengqi and Yang Hong, fearing that they didn't understand the reason. Huang Wei smiled slightly and said calmly: "Kuang Er and Yang Laowu are very smart. Didn't you see Yang Hong leisurely staying in the Pacific Ocean without saying a word, and Kuang Zhengqi had no complaints about not getting supplies in Egypt? They saw it clearly a long time ago and retreated like a turtle. They know very well that our flower-growing family is too weak compared to others. Sometimes it is not a bad thing to act like a grandson."
Huang Wei continued, "After this incident, I think that whether it's us, Kuang Zhengqi, or Yang Hong, we'll all be busy. Alas, there are countless good men who will shed blood in a foreign land!"