12dz Chapter 223 "My Lord, Major Sterner...
Chapter 223 "My Lord, Major Sterner...
Major Nishikawa's mood at the moment can be summed up in one word: awesome.
This refreshing feeling is like drinking three cups of cool well water on a hot summer day, and the coolness that comes from the inside out and from the pores all over the body.
It was as if I had just eaten three bowls of red bean and white rice with salty and fragrant dried fish, and I felt so relaxed that even my soul seemed to be floating.
He had an unstoppable smug smile on his face, and as he rode on that creaky old bicycle, he actually felt that it felt like a Hot Wheels bike.
His large group of people, riding bicycles, have been unstoppable since they crossed the border, like a tiger descending from the mountain.
The garrison of John's colony was so vulnerable!
Recreating the glory of the 'Silver Wheel Troops', they galloped along the mountain road. After just a few quick fire reconnaissances, the Sindhu troops in front of them scattered like autumn leaves blown away by the cold wind.
What’s even more exaggerated is that after each battle, there would always be a large number of prisoners surrendering.
Major Nishikawa couldn't wait to report to his superiors: "We captured thousands of soldiers!"
These prisoners seemed unusually "obedient" and "submissive," more like servants than soldiers.
They even took the initiative to help the Japanese build a simple camp covering several acres and locked themselves in it.
Major Nishikawa stood on a high place, gazing at the dark mass of Indian captives, like a king who had accomplished great things, with a smug smile on his brows.
"This is a truly great place to earn military merit!" he muttered to himself, his lips curling up even deeper. "If I had known that John's troops in Sindhu were so weak, why would the Empire have fallen into the hands of Qian?"
As a member of the 15th Division, Major Nishikawa fought his way here from the Qianguo battlefield and experienced all kinds of hardships.
Although the 15th Division seems to be sandwiched between the 14th and 16th Type A Divisions, it is an out-and-out Type C garrison division.
（冷知识，17个战前常备甲种师团分别是近卫师团加上第 1 师团到 第 14 师团还有第 16、17 师团，偏偏落下了第 15 师团。）
Despite this, even though he served in the garrison division, Major Nishikawa had been on the front lines for many years and had fought against various powerful enemies including the Central Army, local army, the Eighth Route Army, and the New Fourth Army. He had long considered himself "knowledgeable and experienced."
But the John Colony troops in front of him pushed him to a new low.
"These Sindhu soldiers are too weak, and their will to resist is as thin as autumn window paper." Major Nishikawa couldn't help but sigh.
He even began to wonder, "Were the enemies that Senior Yamashita Tomoyuki faced back then also such a bunch of idiots? Then wouldn't his nickname, 'Tiger of Malaya,' have been easily earned?"
John's army almost surrendered after being caught off guard.
The speed at which Major Nishikawa's troops advanced depended almost entirely on how fast they pedaled their bicycles.
Along the way, every turn of the wheels seemed to crush the enemy's morale; with every step, John's army's defense line collapsed further.
Major Nishikawa suddenly understood how Yamashita Tomoyuki captured 12 Sindhu troops on the Malay Peninsula.
His self-confidence grew day by day, and Major Nishikawa even had the ambition to be on par with Yamashita Tomoyuki.
He fantasized that when he arrived at the city of Imphal, would he be able to capture nearly 10,000 Sindhu soldiers?
Perhaps by then, his name will also spread throughout the country, and the reputation of "Tiger of Imphal" may be in the near future.
This thought made him so excited as if he had been injected with chicken blood, and Major Nishikawa kicked his short, bowed legs even harder.
The bicycle chains were rubbing against each other, and the soldiers behind him had to fight to keep up. Occasionally, he looked back and saw his men sweating profusely, and a smile of pride and disdain appeared on his face.
"What an incompetent guy, he will only hold me back!" Major Nishikawa muttered to himself, but still led his Japanese soldiers to advance rapidly towards Imphal.
Along the way, the atmosphere in the team seemed strange and absurd.
The jingling of bicycle bells seemed to celebrate their victory; the cyclists' breathing and occasional laughter mixed in the team, making it feel like a cycling competition. (German Rally: Thinking about me?)
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Mutaguchi Ren'ya was possessed by "Takeda Shingen" for a moment and produced the effect of "plundering like fire".
The Japanese 33rd Division advanced westwards to attack Kohima, north of Imphal, and could move southwards to approach Imphal at any time. Lord Mountbatten, who was in charge of all matters in Sindhu, was frightened three times a day and had to ask Stevenson for help many times.
Stevenson was also shocked by the sudden large-scale counterattack of the Japanese. He quickly mobilized the New 1st Army, which was being revised in Pegu, to move westward to relieve Kohima.
The White Party leaders had done a lot of dirty things during the first expedition into Pegu, and because they had clung to the White Eagle, they completely looked down on John, so the New 1st Army started to act in a double-cross manner.
The new 38th Division, which set off first, advanced very slowly, citing the difficult roads and insufficient supplies after the logistical transportation lines to Kohima were cut off.
Donald's Flying Tigers were also focused on the domestic battlefield of Qian Country and temporarily had no energy to send troops to Sindhu to confront the Japanese Air Force head-on.
For a moment, Lord Mountbatten found himself isolated and helpless.
As for asking Zhang Chi for help?
The proud lord never considered this option.
On March 17, the Nishikawa Battalion of the 15th Division heading north captured the Bisinpur area about 20 kilometers southwest of Imphal, completely blocking the southern passage of Imphal.
The terrified lord ordered all troops to retreat immediately and gather in Imphal, ready to defend Imphal to the death.
At this time, the only two understrength divisions stationed in the Imphal area were the 17th and 20th Divisions of the John Sindhu Corps of the 4th Army commanded by Lieutenant General Skunas.
The two previously dispersed garrison divisions were defeated one by one by the advancing Japanese. At this time, there were only less than 6000 Indian troops and a Royal Tank Battalion composed of Highlanders left in the city of Imphal.
(John has the Royal Navy, but the Army does not have a Royal prefix. However, some individual units have Royal prefixes, such as the Royal Engineers, the Royal Rifles, and the Royal Heavy Tank Battalion)
"Don't be afraid, the royal family expects everyone to fulfill their duties." The lord in the command center said the famous saying of Vice Admiral Nelson of the Navy to encourage everyone present.
"As long as the Royal Tank Battalion launches an attack, everything will be fine!" The lord was full of confidence at this moment.
"My lord, Major Stener..." A staff officer present spoke haltingly with a few drops of cold sweat on his head.
The staff officer swallowed, his Adam's apple rolling. "Sterner just called back. The 9th Royal Tank Battalion has lost more than half its troops and retreated back to the city. He doesn't have the strength to launch another attack."