Age of Conquest Reborn

Chapter 1,586 The plot against Stilwell (Part 2)

The 51st Regiment of the Japanese Army, a field artillery brigade, bombarded an area of ​​only a few hundred square meters for more than thirty minutes. Nearly a thousand shells roared down and the ground was turned over several times.

After the bombardment stopped, Chu Tian left the observation hole without interest and silently lit a cigarette. The smoke shrouded his face in a blur, while Colonel Yingxiao always lay in front of the artillery mirror, passing by.

After a while, Ying Xiao finally left the observation hole.

First, he shouted excitedly: "Go to the west! Go to the west! Great! I saw that there was no sign of life. I believe that our 51st Regiment will create a miracle. One shelling will wipe out a U.S. soldier."

Regiment headquarters!”

Chu Tian raised his eyes and looked at Takashi Kojiro who was in extreme excitement. He sneered secretly in his heart: "Humph, with such little success, what if I told him that there was also the top commander of the US military in the Calais Mountains, Shi

Lieutenant General Diwei, will this little devil get so excited that he has a heart attack and dies on the spot?"

Takataka himself was happy for a while, then he suddenly realized that he could achieve such a feat thanks to Captain Fujino. If he hadn't seen it, the great opportunity would have been missed.

Are you not a kind person?

Colonel Takataka said very sincerely: "Fujino-kun, thank you very much. Once the results are confirmed, I will report the matter to the division commander, Lieutenant General Morie. Fujino-kun, your credit cannot go away. Soon, you will

He will become a major!"

Chu Tian smiled faintly and replied: "Your Excellency Colonel, you are wrong. Such a great contribution has nothing to do with Fujino. It is entirely the credit of the 51st Regiment and His Excellency Colonel Takataka. I just witnessed a creation

It’s just a miraculous bombardment! I believe that if nothing happens, His Excellency Colonel will be promoted to general soon. Fujino congratulates you in advance!"

Chu Tian's meaning is very obvious. He does not claim this credit at all. It will all be attributed to your Colonel Takako. Takako blinked his eyes a few times in surprise. He could see that what Captain Fujino said was absolutely true.

Sincerely, Yingxiao felt embarrassed for the first time, a little embarrassed, but more admired and moved. He even had the urge to imitate the customs of the Chinese people, kowtow to Captain Fujino, and become brothers with different surnames.

Colonel Takataka only wanted to achieve meritorious service, but the thirty-minute shelling was no less than the collapse of the sky for the more than 80,000 American troops in the Calais Mountains.

After the Japanese artillery bombardment stopped, the American soldiers hiding in the fortifications, artillery holes, and shelters cautiously poked their heads out and looked at the Japanese army on the opposite side. They just fired a burst of artillery inexplicably, but the infantry did not attack. They were all shocked.

I breathed a sigh of relief, feeling lucky to have saved my life from the hell gate. I was even more lucky that my location was not the target of the Japanese bombardment, and I didn’t know that this unlucky place had withstood the Japanese’s wrath.

Major De Krueger, assistant commander of the 18th Regiment of the U.S. Army, was probably the only surviving school-level officer on the 18th Regiment's position. Just ten minutes before Takataka ordered the artillery bombardment, he followed the regiment commander Albert

The major was assigned to other positions to convey Commander Stilwell's orders to reinforce and reconstruct the fortifications to each battalion, and was responsible for on-site supervision.

Major De Krueger, less than seven or eight hundred meters away, was frightened by the roaring artillery shells. Immediately, the air wave from the exploding shells knocked the major unceremoniously into the trench. He was very lucky.

Unfortunately, he happened to fall in front of a shell-proof hole. De Krueger didn't care too much and got in, huddled with a dozen soldiers.

Because we were too close to the shelling area, even though we were hiding in the shell-proof cave, the feeling was like sitting on a boat swaying in a storm. The soil on the roof of the shell-proof cave was falling down.

As a result, the dozen or so American soldiers inside said they would not drink the officers. They were like natives. Looking at this posture, it would collapse at any time. Major De Krueger could only pray for God's blessing!

The sound of artillery stopped. Major De Krueger, headless and face covered with dirt, got out of the shell-proof hole and carefully looked around. Fortunately, the Japanese army did not launch an attack. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly,

He remembered, and shivered uncontrollably. Wasn't the area covered by Japanese artillery fire the same place he had just left?

My God! Commander Stilwell, Commander Albert, including the regimental chief of staff, three battalion commanders, and six or seven school-level officers were all in that position. The major's lips were dry and his calves were trembling.

He had a premonition that the most unfortunate and terrifying thing had happened. The Japanese artillery fire was obviously heading towards Commander Stilwell.

Major De Krueger, shouting and cursing, blasted out a second lieutenant and a dozen soldiers from the artillery hole, and led a group of trembling soldiers to run towards the bombardment area.

When he got there and took a look at the scene, Major De Krueger's legs softened and he sat down on the ground. Except for the craters everywhere, the overturned soil and gravel, it was as desolate as the moon. There was nothing left. Japanese artillery shells

, changed everything here, and destroyed everything.

The major, who had calmed down a little, led a dozen soldiers and searched all over the bomb crater. Not even a complete body was found. He only collected a few identity tags, including Lieutenant General Stilwell and Captain Albert.

Now, Major De Krueger has become the highest-ranking officer in the entire 18th Regiment.

The bad news that Lieutenant General Stilwell and the main officers of the 18th Infantry Regiment were all killed in the Japanese shelling was quickly reported to Brigadier General Whiteman, commander of the 5th Infantry Division. Major De Krueger called to report the unfortunate news.

When he arrived at the division headquarters, Brigadier General Whiteman was in the division headquarters tent, guarding a dining table covered with a white tablecloth, enjoying a lunch carefully prepared by the chef.

Brigadier General Whiteman had the time and mood to enjoy lunch peacefully. The division headquarters was located more than 20 kilometers away from the front line. Even the sound of artillery that sounded every day was insignificant when it reached here. Compared to the front line,

The division headquarters camp site chosen by the brigadier general was a dense jungle, with tall trees blocking the sky and blocking the hot June sunshine of Luzon Island. It was a bit like a paradise.

Of course, evacuation is also very convenient. Less than 300 meters away, there is a relatively flat dirt road. A dozen fully fueled jeeps and trucks are on standby. When the chief of staff burst into the tent with a look of panic, Brigadier General Whiteman had just

Pour half a cup of brandy into your mouth.

"Sorry, Commander, I received a call from the 18th Regiment. Commander Stilwell was killed in the Japanese artillery fire on the battlefield!" The Chief of Staff's voice had changed tone, a bit like someone who had his neck stepped on.

gander.

"Cough cough cough!" The brandy suddenly choked into the trachea. Brigadier General Whiteman's face turned purple from holding it in. He stood up suddenly, knocked over the dining table, and the plates and bowls fell to the ground. He finally got over this breath, and he couldn't help it.

Dare to believe and asked loudly: "What? Is the news reliable?".

The chief of staff gasped and replied: "It is absolutely reliable. Also killed in the battle were the commander of the 18th Regiment, Colonel Albert, and most of the main officers of the regiment. The call was made by the assistant to the regiment commander, Major De Krueger.

Yes, he is the only surviving school-level officer of the 18th Regiment, division commander, we must report this news to Commander MacArthur!"

Brigadier General Whiteman was like a trapped animal, circling rapidly in the tent, with no trace of sadness or joy on his expression. He knew very well that this incident would be almost a disaster for the entire U.S. military in the Calais Mountains.

Even the lieutenant general and commander were killed, what about the troops below?

There is no leader and no unified command. If the Japanese army attacks again at this time and wavers a little, it will be a terrible situation where the entire line collapses. Being ordered to retreat to Manila and retreating to Manila are two completely different concepts.

Brigadier General Whiteman stopped circling and said hurriedly to the Chief of Staff: "Immediately use the top secret code to report the matter to Commander MacArthur. At the same time, you immediately rush to the position of the 18th Regiment and designate Major De Krueger as the acting agent.

The duty of the regiment commander is to stabilize the morale of the troops and strictly instruct the officers and soldiers of the regiment to keep the news of the death of Commander Stilwell and other major officers in the regiment strictly confidential and prohibit it from spreading to outsiders. It is against the law and will be dealt with according to military law!"

It should be said that Brigadier General Whiteman's handling of the situation in the Calais Mountains is absolutely correct. Otherwise, once this shocking bad news spreads among the US soldiers on the front line, the US military, which is already low in fighting spirit and morale, will

The army is really likely to collapse without a fight. Even a lieutenant general and commander can die at any time. The life of an ordinary soldier is no more valuable than a stone in the Calais Mountains!

It is impossible to guess whether MacArthur's reaction after receiving the bad news from Brigadier Whiteman was that he was proud of his success in killing people with a borrowed knife, or he recalled that he and Stilwell had been working together for several years, and they had more quarrels than close cooperation, so that in the end they were incompatible with each other, or maybe

It is not clear whether it is the desolation of the death of the rabbit or the sadness of the fox, or the worry about the future destiny, etc.

The U.S. official has not said a word about this disastrous incident. Even the families of the fallen officers, including the Stilwell family, have not received the news. They thought that their relatives were in the mountains on the other side of the ocean.

On the island, they are fighting to the death with the Japanese for the overseas interests of the United States of America!

One day later, on June 8, General MacArthur, commander of the U.S. Southeast Asia and South Pacific Regional Headquarters, issued an order to reorganize the U.S. Calais Mountain Battle Group into the U.S. Third Army of the South Pacific Theater, formerly the 5th Infantry Division.

Brigadier General Whiteman, the division commander, assumed the position of commander of the newly formed Third Army and was promoted to major general.

Colonel Takajiro Takajiro, commander of the 51st Regiment of the 103rd Division of the Japanese Army, has already drafted a report message and is eagerly waiting to confirm the results of the battle. He dreams of hanging up the rank of general. Of course, the Americans themselves will announce that he will

More convincing, impactful and influential!

All of this has nothing to do with Chu Tian. The most troublesome thing for him now is how to get rid of Colonel Xiqiao and Major Xiao Quan, who are becoming more and more dissatisfied with him, evacuate Luzon Island, and return to Yangon to accept a new mission!

(To be continued)