Speaking of the expeditionary force's loss of Myitkyina, it is another story that makes people sigh.

The historical expeditionary force retreated from Mandalay to Myitkyina after Lashio was captured by the Japanese army, but they only got the news that Myitkyina was occupied by the Japanese army halfway through.

In fact, there were not many Japanese troops occupying Myitkyina, only more than 3,000 people. However, the expeditionary force was the main force of the Fifth Army that had retreated from Mandalay, with 30,000 men and tanks, heavy artillery, etc., and it was no problem to take Myitkyina with this strength and the combat strength of the Fifth Army.

But after much consideration, Du Yuming finally decided to bypass Myitkyina and go to the Savage Mountains.

This order left many people puzzled...... Even if he thinks about it from Du Yuming's point of view, he doesn't know how many Japanese troops there are in Myitkyina, and it's always okay to send a few people to reconnoiter and find out what is true and false, how could he choose to bypass Myitkyina without saying a word? !

But in fact, Du Yuming was thinking more about the issue of ammunition supply...... It may not be difficult to take Myitkyina, but Lashio has been lost, the supply of the expeditionary force has been cut off, and there is one less bullet and artillery shell.

Is there a supply in Myitkyina? Maybe there is, but even if there is, it is very likely that it is British equipment and British ammunition, and even if there is British ammunition and British supplies, it will be occupied by the Japanese first, and even if the Fifth Army can take Myitkyina, the Japanese army will have time to burn or blow up those supplies.

And then what? How will the Fifth Army defend the empty city of Myitky after occupying it?!

It seems that they can only wait for the Japanese army to surround and then eat the Fifth Army, which is running out of ammunition and food, and then they will not be able to run if they want to.

However, if the Chinese army had occupied Myitkyina first, the result would have been completely different...... The supplies that the British army had in Myitkyina could obviously be used by the Chinese army, and as long as the Chinese army used these supplies to hold on for a period of time, then the British side would definitely have to provide supplies to Myitkyina in order for the Japanese army not to continue to attack India.

Thinking of this, Zhang Chi decided on the goal: to seize Myitkyina!

That is, to do something that Du Yuming didn't know about and change history.

But how can a regiment of sappers be allowed to seize Myitkyina? He is just a company commander, although Wang Mazi has good trust in him, but this is a matter of strategic direction, and it is by no means something that a company commander can control.

At this time, Zhang Chi's eyes turned to the telegram on the table again, which read: "Lashio should be dealt with urgently, in case Lashio is not defended, the 5th Army and the 66th Army should take Myitkyina and Bamo as the rear, and the 6th Army should take Jingdong as the rear!" ”

Zhang Chi took the telegram and looked at it, so he cautiously poked the corner of it into the brazier that was still burning, and saw that the words in front of him were almost burned, and quickly took two breaths to blow it out.

"Report!" At this time, the townsman reported: "No radio station was found!" ”

"Hmm!" Zhang Chi answered, and said to the map on the wall and the large number of telegrams in the office: "These things may be useful, take them all back!" ”

"Yes!" Without saying a word, the villagers put together all the maps and documents.

So this map marking the battlefield situation was quickly placed in front of Wang Mazi, Wang Mazi couldn't help but gasp when he looked at it, and scolded: "Damn, the new 22nd Division was blocked on the road and couldn't pass!" ”

"Tuanza!" Zhang Chi handed over the "processed" telegram at the right time, and said: "This was found in the brazier, maybe the brother who burned the telegram was in too much of a hurry and only burned a corner!" ”

Wang Mazi took the telegram and looked at it, only to see that the part that had not been burned was written: "Lashio is not defended, the 5th Army and the 66th Army should take Myitkyina and Bamo as the rear, and the 6th Army should take Jingdong as the rear!" ”

"Alas!" Wang Mazi couldn't help sighing, and said to the officers around him: "Shangfeng has given up Lashio and ordered the Fifth Army to be transferred to Myitkyina!" ”

This immediately caused an uproar among the officers...... This is not a trivial matter, as long as anyone with a little military knowledge knows the importance of Lashio, so some of them even can't believe that the summit will give up Lashio so easily.

"Tuanza!" The tank battalion commander asked Wang Mazi: "Could it be that something is wrong?" The number of Japanese airborne troops is not large, and we have also arrived at Lashio, if we want to defend, there is still hope, how can it be ......"

"Third battalion commander!" The commander of the engineer battalion objected: "The number of Japanese airborne troops is not large, so we have more soldiers in Lashio?" ”

When asked by the engineer battalion commander, the tank battalion commander had nothing to say.

The engineer battalion commander was really right, the new 22nd Division was blocked on the Manla Road, the 200th Division fought a bloody battle with the Japanese 56th Division in Tangji, the 6th Army and the 66th Army fled to nowhere to go, and all the troops of the expeditionary force in Lashio were only patchwork engineer regiments.

"Say it again!" The engineer battalion commander continued: "The devils may not have many troops at the moment, more than 3,000 people, but they can be airborne to the vicinity one after another, which means that their troops will be more and more, and there is also the fire cover of air power, but we only have more than 3,000 people...... Even if you want to keep it, you can't keep it! ”

"No way!" Meng Lezeng's face changed, and he said in a deep voice: "If you can't hold it, you have to defend it, as soon as this Lashio is lost, the Japanese army will hit Yunnan along the China-Burma Highway!" ”

"Camp Commander Meng is right!" Gao Yushu echoed: "Brothers, we have tanks and armored vehicles in our hands, and there are still a lot of supplies here in Lashio, and gasoline and ammunition can be said to be piled up, let's fight with the devils!" We can't let the devils enter our hometown! ”

Meng Lezeng, Gao Yushu and others used to stay behind and fight with the devils for this, and it was also for this reason that they joined the engineer corps, who knew that now they want to give up these fundamental motherland doors to the Japanese, of course, it is a little unacceptable.

But this is a war, and sometimes you can't be emotional, especially when you're thinking about whether to keep your arm or your toes...... Fools know that of course they have to save their arms, but it is so difficult to give up their toes.

"Why don't you ......," a voice hesitated and said, "We can go back to China......"

Wang Mazi couldn't help but snort when he heard this: "You mean to flee back to China like those routs?" Do you want to bring something back and resell it? ”

was ridiculed by Wang Mazi, and no one dared to mention the matter of returning to China.

But in fact, it is normal to have the idea of returning to China: Lashio is only a little more than 100 kilometers away from China, and for a mechanized unit like the Engineer Corps, it takes two or three hours to walk fast, and the soldiers have been running around in Burma for more than a month, and they are all at their doorstep...... I can only look at it from a distance but can't go back, this kind of worry is something that outsiders can't understand.