Cross the Songhu battlefield and rise to become the most powerful warlord

Chapter 870 Crossing the Sea to Launch a Sneak Attack

870 Crossing the Sea to Sneak Attack

"Has the 16th Army given us a reply?"

"Reporting to the Commander, General Imamura replied that he can only assemble a brigade at most to cooperate with our First Regiment in the battle."

Nishimura Takuma replied.

"Just one brigade?"

Yamashita Tomoyuki's tone clearly showed some dissatisfaction.

The Japanese 16th Army was the main force stationed in the Dutch East Indies. At that time, a division of the Japanese 16th Army was stationed on Sumatra Island, opposite Malacca.

Seeing that the old Japanese soldier Yamashita Tomoyuki was dissatisfied, Nishimura Takuma immediately explained, "Commander, this is not the fault of the 16th Army."

They only had one division on Sumatra.

Furthermore, their forces were scattered throughout the island.

The best we can do is assemble a brigade to support us.

Moreover, this was only done with the authorization of headquarters; otherwise, I estimate they would have been lucky to send even a single regiment.

There was one thing Nishimura Takuma didn't mention.

That is, the 16th Army Command also knew that once their 25th Army was completely defeated on the Malay Peninsula.

They still allowed the expeditionary force to join forces with the British army to seize the Indochina Peninsula and the Malay Peninsula.

So, they are separated from each other by a strait.

After the expeditionary force and the British army have rested for six months, they will be fully capable of crossing the Strait of Malacca and attacking the division they have stationed on Sumatra.

Rather than being passively attacked later.

It would be better to take advantage of the fact that the 25th Army under Yamashita Tomoyuki's command still has the ability to put up a last-ditch effort.

Sending troops to support Yamashita Tomoyuki would be ideal, allowing the enemy to annihilate the main British forces on the Malay Peninsula and hold the peninsula.

In this way, the remnants of the 25th Army of the old Japanese devil Yamashita Tomoyuki could become the northern shield for the division of the Japanese 16th Army stationed on Sumatra Island.

This prevented the expeditionary force and the British army from advancing south and invading Sumatra.

That is why the Japanese 16th Army was so generous this time, mobilizing the entire northern part of Sumatra in such a short period of time.

Almost all of the Japanese troops marched north to support the Japanese 25th Army in this battle.

"snort.

That's settled then, one brigade it is.

The 16th Army brigade participating in the battle was notified to make contact with the 1st Regiment.

The attack will be scheduled for tomorrow night.

"It all hinges on this."

"Hi!"

A group of Japanese generals shouted in unison.

A few hours later, on Sumatra Island across the Strait of Malacca, rows of civilian boats that had been forcibly seized by the Japanese were on display.

We quickly assembled here.

Squads of soldiers from the Japanese 16th Army were ready to cross the strait to fight.

Meanwhile, on the western sea, a fleet was also rapidly heading south.

Upon closer inspection, they turned out to be the British ships that had been captured by the Japanese Imperial Guard Division's 1st Regiment during a surprise attack at Hongshikan Port.

At this moment, Wang Chuying's fleet returned to a port in Myanmar for rest and refitting.

The fleet's voyage on the sea west of the Malay Peninsula was unimpeded.

They arrived at the Japanese troops' assembly point on the opposite Sumatra island before nightfall.

Using the large ships they brought, they hauled all the artillery that the Japanese had prepared onto the ships; this was the heavy firepower they needed for their assault.

Soon, the Japanese ships, loaded with soldiers and artillery, set sail from a fishing port in northern Sumatra.

Just a few dozen kilometers away is the Kuala Lumpur area of ​​the Malay Peninsula.

As darkness fell, this brigade of the Japanese 16th Army, which had crossed the strait from a port in northern Sumatra, quietly appeared a dozen kilometers south of Kuala Lumpur.

Five landing points were successfully used to complete the landing.

This place is 20 to 30 kilometers away from the battle zone between the main British forces and the Japanese 18th Division.

It was not in a combat zone and did not attract the attention of the British army.

Soon, around dawn, 10,000 Japanese soldiers, from the 1st Regiment of the Imperial Guard Division and a brigade of the 16th Army, completed their landing in the area.

"Time's up, let's move!"

The Japanese troops at the five landing points did not regroup.

As planned, they launched their raids on their pre-selected targets in the early hours of the morning.

Three of the Japanese troops made a flanking maneuver, heading towards the British rear supply base.

The other two forces headed north to cooperate with the Japanese 18th Division and launch a pincer attack on the main British forces that were still engaged in fierce fighting there.

Although the British supply port was captured by the Japanese 1st Guards Regiment.

It cut off the main British forces' supply route from the sea.

However, the British army had already stockpiled enough ammunition to last them a long time before that.

If these ammunition depots are destroyed, 100,000 British troops will soon be rendered ineffective.

This is much easier than defeating 100,000 British troops head-on on the battlefield.

This was also the biggest weakness of the British main force at this time.

The old Japanese devil Yamashita Tomoyuki had been plotting for so long, all because he was targeting the British army's Achilles' heel.