Age of Conquest Reborn

The commander of the ** Division, Tang Qiuli, couldn't understand Jonathan's deployment. Why did he decide to retreat and guard the Manila defense line? He didn't really think that with the strength of one division, he could stop hundreds of thousands of Japanese troops in Manila City.

Twelve hours away, right?

The thinking of Americans is really incomprehensible if we leave such a good defensive position like Polillo unused. Think about it, too. If you have been under MacArthur for a long time and have such a boss, what opportunities can you get to practice? It would be a waste of experience to suddenly take on a heavy responsibility.

It was not enough, the courage was commendable, but the approach was not advisable, Tang Qiuli was relieved.

Chief of Staff Zhao Yuhe immediately understood what the division commander meant and said: "Division Commander, what you mean is that Commander Le's fleet will intervene in the evacuation of the US and Philippine troops and provide them with air fire cover to avoid being

The Japanese army bites and cannot escape!"

Tang Qiuli said helplessly: "This is the only way we can do it. Otherwise, I'm really worried that they won't be able to withdraw. In your telegram to Jonathan, you must emphasize that all troops must arrive on August 29th."

Evacuate the position before six o'clock in the morning

, gathered at the dock waiting to board the ship, the Americans could only escape under the cover of night. If the operation were to take place in broad daylight, the Japanese army would definitely bite the Americans at all costs, and the Philippine army would not let go. Just relying on Le Yiqin's fleet,

No full cover possible!"

Then, he said to himself: "This situation is so similar to the Dunkirk evacuation!"

Zhao Yuhe, who had already walked out, turned around and asked strangely: "Master, Dunkirk, where is that place?"

Tang Qiuli said covertly: "It's nothing, I just remembered something!"

But I secretly screamed, "What a revelation. The Dunkirk evacuation was indeed real, but it was not successful. It was all because of my appearance that more than 400,000 British and French soldiers were gathered and annihilated by the German army in Dunkirk."

The Erke area, as a result, also greatly damaged the vitality of Britain."

Tang Qiuli's telegram soon reached Jonathan's hands. The request made in the telegram really put him in trouble. According to the retreat plan, after several days of fierce fighting, more than 200,000 U.S. troops from the Philippines were covered by echelons.

, gradually evacuated, leaving the Manila defense line and gathering at the dock.

Tang Qiuli's order was for all troops to immediately abandon their current positions and quickly assemble toward the dock. The blocking troops under his command were also to abandon their existing defenses and rebuild defensive positions at Poliro.

What if the Japanese army takes advantage of the retreat of the troops and attacks across the board?

In order to achieve cover for the retreat without alerting the Japanese troops on the opposite side, I have ordered all troops, especially the front-line troops at the front, to abandon all vehicles, heavy weapons, tanks, and armored vehicles, and march to the port on foot. If the Japanese troops catch up, then

But it was a one-sided massacre, and Lieutenant General Jonathan had to consider the consequences.

However, looking at the order from Tang Qiuli, which was almost an ultimatum, Lieutenant General Jonathan gritted his teeth and decided to implement the order in the telegram. On the one hand, without Chinese aircraft escort, his troops would not be able to reach Australia at all.

The main reason was based on the confidence in Tang Qiuli. This Chinese had never suffered a defeat in the battles against the Japanese in Indochina.

Lieutenant General Jonathan issued new orders to all the troops. He was watching the neighboring troops withdrawing from their positions, but before it was his turn to leave, he was so anxious that he felt like a cat scratching his head. The Philippine soldiers received the order.

After this order, Rumeng Amnesty withdrew from the position at a speed that he could hardly believe. Many American soldiers simply abandoned the position because they felt burdened by light and heavy machine guns.

In the vast darkness of night, the city of Manila fell into a tense atmosphere. Groups of soldiers passed through the streets of Manila, as if there were wolves chasing them behind, passing through the city without looking back. Ordinary soldiers

Citizens are not that sensitive yet, but those wealthy businessmen and wealthy families cannot sit still. The Americans are going to abandon us and run away. After the Japanese occupy Manila, who knows what will happen?

Behind the groups of American and Filipino soldiers, crowds of people fleeing began to appear. However, as soon as the car drove out of the gate, those soldiers who usually looked like they were meeting the God of Wealth when they saw him, now they didn't recognize each other, and they couldn't help but say,

He smashed the car to pieces and warned fiercely: "Don't want to live anymore? According to the order of the Manila Garrison Headquarters, all vehicles will not be allowed to take to the streets before six o'clock tomorrow morning. Violators will be shot on the spot!"

The car was gone and there were still two legs. It was better than staying in the city and letting the Japanese kill them. Therefore, people who were usually pampered had to pant and run after the soldiers. In fact, they didn't know that

As I ran there, I instinctively felt that it would be safer to follow the soldiers with guns.

When the soldiers were gathering at the port, the refugees who followed saw a ship and understood in their hearts that as long as they could board these ships, they would have a chance to survive. However, this opportunity did not belong to them, but to a group of people.

The officers, who had guns in their hands and seemed more panicked than they were, could only look at the ship and sigh.

But businessmen are businessmen, and they soon found the key to solving the problem. So, various scenes of transactions began to take place on the crowded pier under the cover of night and chaos.

By the time Lieutenant General Jonathan received an angry and helpless report from Chief of Staff Brigadier Kleist, who was commanding the troops to board the ship at the port, the matter had evolved to a very serious stage. There were about 20,000 wealthy businessmen, and the government

The officials have already boarded the transport ship. Everyone knows how they got on the ship. These people are more or less related to the former Commander-in-Chief MacArthur in one way or another.

Even if you have never met MacArthur, you can still find a reasonable excuse to get involved with someone who has connections. At this time, Chief of Staff Kleist's usually low prestige and his submissive impression of MacArthur became fatal.

Due to his weakness, military officers and other senior government officials basically ignored the orders of the newly appointed chief of staff. He was unable to prevent such things from spreading.

Originally, the evacuation plan included the evacuation of key members of the colonial government during the US occupation, and ten ships were specially deployed for the transfer of government officials and confidential files and documents. However, these ten ships

, has become a tool for high-ranking government officials to make money. The number of people boarding the ship has exceeded the authorized number by nearly twice, and people continue to board the ship through various means.

At this time, it was already past three o'clock in the morning on August 29th. Lieutenant General Jonathan was so angry that he almost went crazy. He made it clear what it meant if the situation continued to develop. It meant that those ten ships would not

, will sink in the rough waves of the Southwest Pacific, which means that one's own troops will have more than one division of soldiers who cannot board the ship. The blocking troops can only stay on Luzon Island. In other words, one's own troops

The 7th Mechanized Infantry Division under his command will never be withdrawn to Australia.

Moreover, such a chaotic situation will also affect the evacuation of the entire army. If the troop transport formation has not left the port by ten o'clock in the morning, more than 200,000 soldiers will be crowded in the port on a sunny day, exposed to the Japanese army.

In front of the soldiers, even if a Japanese bomber or fighter jet dropped a few bombs or fired a few bullets, it would cause complete chaos.

Lieutenant General Jonathan did not dare to think about what would happen to the frightened troops. Although there were Chinese fighter jets covering the air, the soldiers panicked and fled in all directions. This was an inevitable reaction.

Lieutenant General Jonathan felt a murderous aura in his heart. He ordered all military police units to immediately board every ship and drive off all those who boarded the ship by various means. If they refused to disembark, they could use force.

method until he is shot.

After a large number of military police boarded the ship, there was another commotion of crying and vicious curses, which was also mixed with sporadic gunshots. Lieutenant General Jonathan quickly restored order in the port with an iron fist.

Thanks to MacArthur, his Manila defense line was built outside the city of Manila. The farce at the port and the commotion that spread to the whole city of Manila did not alarm the Japanese soldiers. This was probably the most correct thing MacArthur did during his rule in the Philippines.

, and the only good thing! Although this was not his original intention.

At 5:30 in the morning, an earth-shattering sound of artillery broke the pre-dawn tranquility. Sparkling firelight flashed in all directions of the Manila defense line. Continuous explosions, like heavy thunder, rolled across the sky. The Japanese attack was on time.

here we go.

After the overwhelming bombardment, hundreds of thousands of Japanese soldiers divided into four groups and roared towards the U.S. and Philippine positions. There was no rain of bullets coming towards them, and the positions were deserted. Japanese commanders at all levels passed by briefly.

After being stunned, they immediately became ecstatic. Under the continuous attacks of the Imperial Japanese Army, the US and Philippine troops had abandoned their positions and fled, and the Manila defense line had been breached.

The Japanese commanders at all levels had only one order: to attack as quickly as possible and strive to be the first imperial army to rush into downtown Manila. In front of them, there was not only a bustling city, but also more than 200,000 people who had lost their resistance.

The beauty of the will, the Philippine soldiers, and all the Japanese soldiers stared with blood-red eyes, like a flood that broke the embankment, overflowing the Philippine positions, overflowing the Manila defense line, and rushing towards the city of Manila.

The Japanese troops who rushed into Manila did not encounter any resistance. A prosperous city fell into their hands. The Japanese officers and soldiers were tempted by the huge victory. Hundreds of thousands of troops were scattered throughout the city.

corner, began to enjoy the power that the Imperial Japanese Army should exercise after conquering this city. As for the more than 200,000 US and Philippine soldiers there, it did not seem to cause too many Japanese commanders at all levels, especially middle and lower-level officers.

of attention.

(To be continued)