Shinichi Tanaka, under pressure from orders and from all sides, had to send the main force to Mandalay to reinforce Lashio.

But Shinichi Tanaka had a heart, and he let the 18th Division Search Wing stay in Mandalay.

The so-called search wing is a unique formation in the Japanese army.

To put it simply, the search wing was developed from the Japanese cavalry unit...... Before the Japanese army, cavalry wings or cavalry brigades were common among the infantry, and most of the soldiers of these cavalry wings or cavalry brigades were selected from the infantry in the division and regiment as the reconnaissance force and fast commando force of the division.

It is conceivable that the Japanese cavalry trained in this way was very combative, and they could even fight with sabers to win the Cossack cavalry in the Russo-Japanese War.

However, with the development of warfare, cavalry is less and less suitable for modern warfare...... Battles between cavalry and cavalry are basically not happening, and even if there is, it is unlikely that they will fight with sabers, but a row of guns and bullets in front of each other, and the cavalry will be a nightmare when facing the infantry, and the infantry only needs to set up a few machine guns to inflict heavy casualties on the cavalry.

As a result, the cavalry wing of the Japanese army gradually developed in the direction of mechanized troops, and the horses became automobiles, armored vehicles, and tanks, etc., and the task and duty were still to serve as the most elite force of the division and regiment as a reconnaissance force and a fast commando.

Such a unit was called a "search wing" or "search brigade" in the Japanese army.

Tanaka Shinichi left this unit as the search wing of the 18th Division, and his original intention was of course to leave the most elite troops in Mandalay, but I don't know whether this move was right or wrong.

Let's say it's right, the search wing did stand out in Mandalay, after all, they were the elite of Japan's elite divisions.

Let's say it's wrong, the search wing is a mechanized force, and its biggest advantage should be high mobility, so that such a force can stay and defend the city is equivalent to sitting on elite cavalry in ancient times but choosing to dismount and fight.

Of course. Stilwell and the others did not know this, and when they learned that the main Japanese army stationed in Mandalay had been transferred to Lashio, the entire command couldn't help but rejoice.

"Well done, General!"

"Playing beautifully, it was easy to move the Japanese in Mandalay away!"

……

The staff officers in the office congratulated Stilwell.

"No!" Stilwell replied thoughtfully: "This credit should be attributed to the Chinese battalion commander!" ”

"Joe!" At this moment, Alexander's figure appeared in front of Stilwell.

"Alex?!" When he saw Alexander, Stilwell couldn't help but be stunned, he had a hunch that this guy was not good.

"Is there anything wrong with you?" Stilwell asked, "If it's all right......

Stilwell spread his hands: "I'm busy, you know, there's going to be a big battle going on!" ”

Stilwell was evicting the customer, and he didn't want it to happen at this time.

"Of course!" Alexander said as he asked a British officer behind him: "Let me introduce you, this is Major General Rice, the commander of the Anglo-Indian 36th Division!" ”

"General!" Rice stood in front of Stilwell and gave a standard military salute.

Stilwell looked at Rice, then at Alexander. Some don't understand what Alexander means by this.

"Oh!" Alexander patted his head with a look of sudden realization and said, "Look, we are in a mess in Imphal, and it is my fault that we didn't inform you of such an important matter!" ”

"What's the matter?" Stilwell asked Alexander with a displeased face.

"That's right!" Alexander explained: "General Mountbatten knew that you were going to launch an attack on the Japanese army to relieve the siege of Imphal, and he was worried that you would not have enough troops, so he asked me to bring the Anglo-Indian 36th Division to your aid!" I think we'll have a great time working together on the battlefield! ”

Stilwell couldn't help but snort coldly when he heard this: "Is it like you did during the first Burma campaign?" ”

"That's the situation!" Alexander spread his hands: "The situation is completely different now, isn't it?" ”

Stilwell didn't say anything more, but he knew very well that the British force was clearly here to reinforce the Chinese and American forces, but in fact they had come to monitor the Chinese and American forces to prevent the Chinese and American forces from robbing their colonies.

At the same time, Stilwell still secretly hated in his heart: how could a British division come to the front line, and he, the commander-in-chief, would not hear a single rumor. What the hell is going on with Adam, who is in charge of logistics?!

But this is not at all to blame Adam, because at this time everyone knew that Britain was an ally, and the military uniforms of the Anglo-Indian division were the same as those of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, and the logistics and transportation were still provided by the British to a considerable extent. So this British and Indian division drove all the way to the front line very easily.

This also verifies the saying: "Day and night, home thieves are difficult to prevent".

Although Stilwell was not happy about this situation, he still couldn't do anything about Alexander. Because it was impossible for him to tear his face with the British at this time, otherwise there would soon be problems with the supply of the Chinese army.

But then, the strategic plan will definitely be affected.

Really. When Alexander knew that Stilwell wanted to command the Chinese army all the way along the Irrawaddy River to Rangoon, he couldn't help but exclaim: "Joe, I don't approve of this, we should cross the Irrawaddy River and march west after taking Mandalay." This will make it easy to relieve the siege of Imphal, and I really don't understand why I need to do it......"

"Oh, really?" Stilwell retorted, "Do you know how many Japanese troops there are on the west bank of the Irrawaddy River?" Nearly seven divisions, did you let the Chinese army cross the river and be surrounded by the Japanese army? That's how you did it? Let the Chinese go to death so that the Japanese can retreat from Imphal?! ”

"No, no......," Alexander replied, "as long as the Chinese army crosses the Irrawaddy River, it can flank the Japanese army from the rear of the Japanese army with the British army in Imphal." You know, the Japanese army has been fighting in Imphal for so long and is exhausted, and if there are Chinese troops attacking in the rear, it is easy to defeat these three divisions of the Japanese army! That's three divisions of the Japanese army, Joe! If this is done, then the Japanese will be demoralized, and this will consume a lot of the Japanese forces! We can do this easily, why do we have to hit Yangon?! ”

Alexander's words were indeed somewhat convincing, especially the fact that they "consumed a lot of Japanese troops," which was exactly what the United States wanted.

But Stilwell knew very well that the words of the British were nothing more than a pie painted on the wall, and their ultimate purpose was ...... Or let the Chinese army jump into the trap and keep their colonial position in Burma. (To be continued.) )