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Text Chapter 892 The Mekong River is not a divine punishment (Part 1)

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    Yanagawa Heisuke glanced at Tsuji Masanobu angrily. Hata Shunroku's words were clearly dissatisfied with him.  But he couldn't come up with a good solution for a while. The French army in Siem Reap had been replaced by the Fourth Division of the Chinese Marine Corps. They also controlled the airport. Through air and land transportation, their strength increased to two regiments and nearly 10,000 people in three days.  A forceful attack would be very costly and could easily lead to a war of attrition.  This is exactly what Hata Shunroku and other senior officials of the War Ministry do not want to see. Although the mainland faction regards China as a mortal enemy and keeps clamoring for a decisive battle, the rate of digestion of Nanyang resources is far slower than expected, so they are unwilling to decisively fight so early.

    So he immediately changed his tactics and asked Hyakutake Haruyoshi to switch from offense to defense, and cooperated with the 114th Division and the Chariot Regiment to contain Siem Reap.  Let Yamazaki Shiro lead the 55th Regiment to ride over the Biandan Mountains, attack Kampong Thom via Preah Vihear, and cut off the retreat of the Chinese Marine Corps Fourth Division.  He also sent a telegram to the 29th Division, asking them to strengthen their attack on Champasak, and while containing the defenders, they sent troops downriver to Mengkong to attack the rear in a detour.  After Toshimichi Uemura learned of the telegram, Suecho Tsunetaro immediately led the 38th Regiment to also ride a bicycle to move downstream to Mengkong.

    Just when the Japanese army used the Silver Wheel tactics that led to victory in the Malayan Campaign, and sent two regiments to set off on bicycles, the Chinese Second Marine Division also faced the pouring rain on the only dirt road leading to Champasak.  Wandering.

    Opening the way was a battalion of Type 37 "Sea Serpent" amphibious tanks painted in olive green camouflage.  This is a light amphibious tank specially developed for the Marine Corps. It weighs 15 tons and looks like the famous PT-76. It uses an L35 70mm rifled gun and the turret shape is similar to the Type 25.  A hook-shaped air vent is installed at the rear, and the chassis is a simpler spring-balanced suspension (similar to the M4 chassis).  Behind them are more than two hundred "Hunter" and "Otter" amphibious armored trucks, using 4x4 and 6x6 chassis respectively.  The former is a modification of the Han River Jeep, and the latter resembles a dukw.  With a dead weight of 6 tons, it can carry 16 soldiers or a 105mm light howitzer. It can also be used for artillery tractors, anti-aircraft vehicles, self-propelled mortars, self-propelled recoilless rifles, etc. It is very suitable for rainforest areas with poor traffic and dense water networks.  , so after the war began, the final assembly sites for the three types of amphibious armored vehicles were placed in Guangdong, Guangxi and Yunnan provinces, and were delivered to the troops at a rate of 500 vehicles per month.

    Division commander Zhang Liansheng was sitting in the "Hunting Lizard", wearing a long-sleeved rainforest combat uniform of the same color as the car, and a rubber raincoat outside.  He was holding a cigarette like a soldier, looking at the pouring rain that seemed to never stop, with a sad face.  Since May to October is the rainy season in the southeastern peninsula every year, the heavy rain has not stopped since landing in Da Nang.

    Heavy rain not only slowed down the troops.  The Champasak road was also riddled with potholes, and without firing a single bullet, his division lost twenty-seven tanks and trucks. Without exception, they all got stuck in quagmire or flooded and had to be temporarily abandoned.  Compared with the soldiers in cars, those who walked were even more miserable. After their feet were soaked in water for a long time, many people showed signs of dangerous ulcers.  Therefore, the soldiers must take turns riding in the carriage.  Make sure your feet stay dry for a while.

    "How long will it take?" Zhang Liansheng, who is from Zhejiang, is not used to the climate here. He always feels like there is a fire in his stomach with nowhere to vent.

    "It's almost here, Commander, look, Pugao Mountain is ahead. Looking at the map, there should be ten kilometers left"

    "Why is it another ten kilometers? It's only 270 kilometers from Da Nang to Champasak. This car can run 350 kilometers with a full tank of gas, and it can run 130 kilometers even in the rainforest cross-country. But do you think we have to fill up the tank?" Zhang Liansheng  Some can't hold back their anger.

    The staff officer pointed at the rainforest and dirt road with a bitter look on his face.  He patted the foggy odometer on the car and said, "Commander, those guys from the staff calculated the straight-line distance. Look, it's almost 500 even if we took the detour."

    "Asshole!" Zhang Lian threw away his cigarette butt angrily, not knowing whether he was scolding the staff or the weather.

    The staff officer shrank his neck, but fortunately the last section of the road was on higher ground and there was no water, so the traveling speed was much faster.  After passing through a farm, the highlands of Pugao Mountain finally appeared in front of everyone.  The spire of the Wapu Temple on the mountainside is like a beacon guiding the way forward.

    "Division commander, we have arrived at Champasay." Seeing the roadblock set up by the French army, the staff officer jumped out of the car first and called for the guide and translator.

    Champasak was the ancient capital of the Champasak Kingdom and the most important ferry crossing in the Central Mekong River Basin.  Crossing here from west to east, you can climb to the Bolofin Plateau and overlook the entire Quang Nam Plain, threatening Da Nang and Hue, so the strategic location is very critical.  After Siam entered the palace, it was once occupied by two infantry divisions of the Siam Army.  But despite the humiliation caused by the Battle of France, the French army's combat effectiveness was actually very good. Facing two Siamese divisions, they recaptured this strategic location with less than two thousand soldiers.  However, as the Japanese army arrived on the other side, the French army gradually lost ground, so a puppet army division was transferred to try to rely on the Pugao Mountain highlands to defend.

    When the Second Division arrived, it had been raining heavily for three days  The swollen river water made it impossible for the Japanese 29th Division to cross the river, so the position was so quiet that almost no one could be heard.

    The French soldiers were very happy that the Marines came to support them, and soon opened Luzhai to let them go.  Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhang Liansheng made a gesture to the guard company.  In addition to taking over Champasak this time, he also received orders to disarm the French army here.  Because after France surrendered, all restraints had disappeared, so there was no need to be polite anymore.

    The roaring engine soon attracted groups of French and Vietnamese puppet troops to look around, and soon thousands of people gathered around the troops.  "Sir, He Hai, the commander of the reconnaissance company of the third regiment of the 1st Airborne Division, is reporting to you." The Champasak headquarters set up the Wapu Temple. After Zhang Liansheng arrived with the guard company and officers, the commander of the airborne reconnaissance company who first came to support came with a few  Ten French officers came to greet him.

    "This is Colonel Pride, he is responsible for the defense of this area." He Hai pointed to a bearded French officer in his fifties and introduced him to Zhang Liansheng.

    "Hello, I'm Pride. I'm glad you can come." Colonel Pride was very happy to finally have reinforcements, but he had only reached halfway when the guard company behind Zhang Liansheng suddenly raised their guns and pointed at them.  Targeting the French officers and soldiers present.

    "What are youwhat are you doing?" The sight of submachine guns made Colonel Pride and the officers tremble with fear. Just as several French soldiers were about to draw their guns, they were pushed to the ground by the guards who had already warned them.  Seeing that the Chinese commander was so unreasonable and wanted to disarm himself without saying a word, Pride was as angry as if he had eaten a fly.  With bulging eyeballs, he shouted angrily: "You are committing a crime! I am a colonel in the French Army"

    Even He Hai was surprised and asked: "Sir, what are you doing?"

    "There is no more France!" Zhang Liansheng waved his hand to interrupt He Hai, and pulled the translator over: "Tell him the current situation."

    The translator hurriedly elaborated on the terms of France's surrender and the requirement that foreign troops not participate in the attack on Germany and its allies.  Due to the lack of information and the urgency of the war, Colonel Pride and the officers had no idea that their country had surrendered.  One or two of them stared wide-eyed: "I don't believe it, you are slandering! It is slandering France!"

    "Colonel Pride, I have been authorized. To avoid conflict, you must immediately order the troops to disarm!" Zhang Liansheng was too lazy to explain.  Looking at the angry French officers around him, he said: "Don't worry, I won't hurt you and your soldiers. We will escort you back to Da Nang."

    "This is impossible, impossible! I want to contact Saigon immediately!" Colonel Pride still didn't believe it.  In order to make him give up, Zhang Liansheng brought a radio station.  Ten minutes later.  Saigon's reply silenced Pride and everyone else.

    It is not difficult to disarm. Not to mention that the French army, which had suffered heavy casualties, had little intention to fight on. The armored vehicles and artillery of the Second Division alone were enough to shut them up, and even the Annan puppet troops were repatriated.  However, they will not be disbanded. After arriving in Da Nang, they will be handed over to the Military Intelligence Bureau for processing.

    Taking advantage of the handover opportunity, Zhang Liansheng asked about the situation nearby.  "The Japanese army's pontoon bridge was washed away, but when the Siamese army retreated, they had already moved all the ferries around to the other side, so I estimate that the Japanese army will attack again after the weather clears" Under He Hai's introduction, Zhang Liansheng  Gradually I understood the situation.  The stall left by Colonel Pride was still intact, and at least the rainy season was used to prevent the Japanese from crossing the river.  Dozens of 75mm rapid-fire guns were left behind, and complete anti-tank positions were established along the coast, but the air defense was very poor.

    "Where are the Japanese troops on the other side? Is there any movement?"

    "The terrain on the other side is low. We were afraid of flooding, so we have retreated five miles away. But there was a Yinlun force in the morning. They went south."

    "Yinlun troops?" Zhang Liansheng was stunned.

    "Actually, it's a bicycle army." He Hai quickly explained.  Even though a bicycle may look inconspicuous, it is definitely better than a truck in this environment.  And he could also take small paths, so Zhang Liansheng immediately became alert: "How long have you been walking? Why don't you pursue me?"

    "About two hours." He Hai said with some annoyance: "Sir, this area is all virgin forest. The nearest place to cross the river is Mengkong, 55 kilometers downstream. We don't have a boat, they were all robbed by the Japanese, even if we have tanks  Open a way" He glanced at the armored battalion in the distance: "It will take at least 200 kilometers around! Sir, I think it's better to wait for the brothers to intercept."

    "Stop me! There's no decent road all the way here, how can I stop you?" Zhang Liansheng cursed and trotted all the way back to the command post with He Hai. After finding Meng Kong's location on the map, he asked without raising his head.  He asked: "Are there any mines in the river? If you lead a team, how long will it take to ride a bicycle to Mengkong?"

    "Now is the flood period, so we can't arrange explosives." He Hai was very puzzled. He didn't know what Zhang Liansheng was going to do, so he calculated in his mind: "The environment on the other side is similar to ours. Even if you bike, you have to take a detour. It takes about six to seven hours to get there.  "

    "That's enough!" Zhang Liansheng slammed the table and called the guards excitedly: "Go, inflate all our rafts and tie them to both sides of the tanks and armored vehicles. Then tell Battalion Commander Huang to give him half an hour to refuel, and half an hour to refuel.  Set off immediately in an hour." He Hai thought Zhang Liansheng didn't hear clearly and was about to use tanks to forcibly clear a path through the rain forest, so he quickly stopped him: "Sir, there are a lot of smog and swamps in the rain forest, and you can't get through."

    "Who said I'm going to the rainforest?" Zhang Liansheng's mouth tilted, and most of the anger caused by the weather disappeared.

    When He Hai and Zhang Liansheng arrived at the river half an hour later, they discovered that twenty "Sea Snakes", forty "Otters" and twelve "Hunters" with inflatable rubber rafts tied to both sides were already full.  Soldier.

    "Sir? Are you planning to drive across the river?"

    In He Hai¡¯s surprised eyes, the first ¡°Sea Snake¡± rushed down the slope into the muddy yellow Mekong River.  (To be continued)
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