Sydney, the Allied South Pacific Theater Command, an urgent telegram from Brisbane had been delivered to Admiral MacArthur. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info

"The Chinese would actually launch a raid on Brisbane. They have crossed thousands of kilometers at once, and this appetite must be too great. Admiral MacArthur said with a frown. Originally, he thought that the Chinese* army would advance step by step on the east coast of Australia. However, the way the Chinese* army is advancing now is beyond their expectations.

Although, in order to preserve their strength, the United States and Australia have consciously ordered the troops on the east coast of Australia to withdraw inland. However, because the attack of the Chinese* army this time was too large, the US-Australian coalition forces had not had time to withdraw the troops around Brisbane, and they had already been hit by the Chinese* army, which made the US-Australian coalition have a sense of surprise.

"Your Excellency, the 25th Infantry Division and the 15th Australian Infantry Division suffered heavy losses under the fierce attack of the Chinese. If we don't evacuate, we're afraid we'll lose two more infantry divisions. Lieutenant General Christie said. It is simply impossible to resist the attack of the Chinese * army in Brisbane with two infantry divisions. The end result will only be to add two more infantry divisions to the lost troops of the US-Australian coalition.

"Send a telegram to Major General Johannes and tell them to retreat." Admiral MacArthur ordered. Although, such a retreat will have a great impact on the morale of the troops. However, they can't care about that much. In Admiral MacArthur's view, everything had to be prepared for the final decisive battle, and everything else could be discarded. As long as the Chinese* army can be defeated in the decisive battle, then everything that has been abandoned now can be recaptured.

"Yes, Your Excellency, Commander." Lieutenant General Christie nodded.

"In addition, let the troops around Sydney also retreat to the heart of New South Wales. If the Chinese can attack Brisbane directly this time, then they may attack Sydney directly next time. The troops deployed on the east coast were ordered to retreat on all fronts. Admiral MacArthur said.

In order to avoid a situation similar to that in Brisbane, Admiral MacArthur simply ordered the troops to be evacuated inland away from the coast, and began to prepare directly for the final decisive battle. Although, this time the decisive battle seems to have come earlier than he expected. However, Admiral MacArthur believes that the US-Australian coalition will still be able to gain the upper hand in this decisive battle.

"Your Excellency, such a large-scale retreat may cause turmoil on the southeastern coast of Australia." Lieutenant General Christie was a little worried. Now that almost all Australians have gathered here, if the army retreats on a large scale again, it will inevitably cause panic among the people, and at that time, there may be some unfavorable problems. This will definitely be very unfavorable for the final decisive battle.

"Let the people evacuate early. Tell them that everything the US-Australian coalition is doing is to defeat the Chinese. Only by defeating the Chinese can they keep their homeland. Otherwise, once we are defeated by the Chinese, they will become slaves of the country. Admiral MacArthur said. For the average Australian, he doesn't care much. Their role is only to provide as much cannon fodder as possible for the US-Australian coalition.

"Yes, Your Excellency, Commander." Lieutenant General Christie nodded, knowing that Admiral MacArthur had made up his mind, and that it was useless to say anything more.

"Also, don't forget to inform the Navy of the Chinese Navy's appearance in Brisbane." Admiral MacArthur commanded.

Although, he is not sure whether the American fleet will use this opportunity to launch an attack on the Chinese navy. However, he subconsciously hoped that the US Navy would be able to seize this opportunity and inflict heavy damage on the Chinese Navy in one fell swoop. In this way, the situation in the South Pacific theater will be much better in the future.

Lieutenant General Christie saluted and walked away briskly. All these things that Admiral MacArthur ordered need to be carried out.

In Brisbane, the Chinese* army has begun to attack the city. Under the cover of naval guns and carrier-based aircraft, the Chinese Army launched an attack on the US-Australian coalition forces stationed in the city. In the face of the attack of the Imperial Army, the United States and Australia were defeated one after another. In addition, their morale is low, and their will to resist is also very weak. The commander of the 1st Infantry Division of the Imperial Army even said that before the sun went down, he would definitely be able to take the whole of Brisbane.

At the command of the 25th Infantry Division of the US Army, the division commander, Major General Johannes, was anxiously pacing back and forth, like ants on a hot pan. The Chinese Army's overwhelming offensive caused heavy losses to the US-Australian coalition. The positions on the front line were constantly lost, and the wounded were constantly being transported down. All this indicates that they will soon be unable to hold on.

"General, a telegram from the headquarters." A communications officer rushed in.

Major General Johannes took the telegram and read that it was Admiral MacArthur ordering them to retreat. After seeing this telegram, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ordered the troops to retreat after half an hour. The Australian 15th Infantry Division was informed that it would abandon its position and retreat in an orderly manner after half an hour. Major General Johannes ordered. After receiving the order to retreat, they finally did not have to stay here and fight hard with the Chinese* army, and they could finally withdraw.

"General, what about the wounded? Now we have more than two thousand people with the lightly wounded and seriously wounded. On the side of the Australian 15th Infantry Division, there were probably so many wounded. A staff officer said. There are so many wounded, apparently you can't go on the road with them. Otherwise, it will slow them down. Once caught up by the Chinese* army, it is impossible to retreat.

Major General Johannes couldn't help frowning, those wounded, it was indeed a trouble. After hesitating, he made a decision: "Let those wounded stay, after we retreat, they can surrender to the Chinese." ”

"Yes, General." The staff officer nodded. This already seems to be the best way to go. But will the Chinese* army waste medicine to treat the wounded of the US-Australian coalition? That seems unlikely, and at best they are left to fend for themselves.

At 10:15 a.m. on January 12, the U.S. 25th Infantry Division and the Australian 15th Infantry Division were evacuated from Brisbane. They left behind the seriously wounded, the lightly wounded to their feet, and those who could not make the way were all left behind. In order to speed up, they even abandoned most of their baggage and heavy weapons, left Brisbane, and headed west, hoping to cross the Great Dividing Ridge and escape into the heart of Australia.

The voluntary retreat of the United States and Australia allowed the 1st Infantry Division of the Imperial Army to easily occupy Brisbane. However, for the fleeing US-Australian coalition forces, the Imperial Army did not give up the pursuit.

Carrier-based planes that took off from the aircraft carriers of the Imperial Navy also bombed these US-Australian coalition forces, greatly delaying the retreat of the US-Australian coalition forces.

In the afternoon of the same day, the main force of the United States and Australia was caught up by the Imperial Army. Seeing that there was nowhere to escape, most of the US-Australian forces surrendered to the Imperial Army, and only a handful of them resisted stubbornly and were annihilated. However, Major General Johannes, commander of the 25th Infantry Division of the US Army, and Major General Kissinger, commander of the 15th Infantry Division of the Australian Army, fled in advance by car.

It's just that after losing the troops, even if they flee back, it is estimated that they will not be able to eat and walk around.

The Imperial Army took the important city of Brisbane in less than a day, completely beyond the expectations of the Eastern Front Command. More importantly, the US-Australian coalition forces were caught off guard by being beaten, and they retreated in embarrassment. So, they simply didn't have time to blow up the port of Brisbane, so that the empire got this port intact. The heavy equipment of the Imperial Army and the logistical materials to be transported in the future can be quickly loaded and unloaded through this port, which will undoubtedly greatly save time. At the same time, supply lines were shortened.

If the Imperial Army is unable to secure an intact port further south in the ensuing battle, the port of Brisbane will become an important supply port for the Imperial Army in Australia.

In the middle of the Tasman Sea, a huge fleet is sailing, and in the center of the fleet, there are two huge aircraft carriers. This is none other than the USS Wasp and USS Hornet aircraft carriers of the US Navy. On the decks of these two aircraft carriers, carrier-based aircraft were parked. On the periphery of the two aircraft carriers were eight battleships of two battleship detachments of the US Navy. These battleships not only have a strong ability to attack the sea, but also have a strong air defense capability. Therefore, in the fleet, it is also capable of undertaking air defense operations. Outside, there were heavy cruisers, light cruisers, and destroyers.

On the island of the USS Wasp, Rear Admiral Halsey, commander of the US Navy's 1st Aircraft Carrier Task Force, was holding a telegram in a daze. This is a telegram from the South Pacific Theater Command. In the cable, the South Pacific Theater Command claimed that the main force of the Chinese Navy was off Brisbane and was assisting the Chinese Army in attacking Brisbane.

Rear Admiral Halsey knew that although the Theater Command did not say it explicitly, the underlying meaning was undoubtedly that it hoped that the fleet would launch an attack on the Chinese Navy and inflict heavy damage on the Chinese Navy.

However, Major General Halsey believes that this seems to be a trap. He didn't know if the news of the U.S. fleet's secret arrival in the South Pacific had leaked, but with China's pervasive intelligence services, it was clear that he would not be unaware of it. If the Chinese side already knew that the U.S. fleet was coming, then this attack on Brisbane would most likely be a trap for the U.S. Navy. (To be continued.) )