Chapter 992 Target: Mang Valley
"Rou Rou, have you really made up your mind to marry Long Wenjian, who is more than ten years older than you?" In a house in Yangon, a woman looked at Tao Jinling in front of her and couldn't help asking.
"Of course, he is the hero in my mind. Without him, I would have died long ago!" Tao Jinling said with a sweet smile on her face.
"You don't know, I was thinking at that time, if someone could save me, I would definitely marry him, I swear to the Buddha."
"Ah, I just think it's unreliable. Yes, it's really unreliable~!"
"Don't say that. I think he is still very gentle." Tao Jinling thought about the time they had spent together, and she felt that Long Wenjian was still a very good person.
"Forget it, whatever you think is good, why don't you inform your parents?"
"No, I just ran away because I was annoyed by their arranged marriage for me~!" Tao Jinling thought for a while and shook her head.
On the other hand, Long Wenjian, who had always been known as a sly old fox, now looked bewildered. He had no idea what to do.
Three books and six ceremonies? What the hell?
"Oh my god! Didn't you claim that you have traveled to most parts of China? How come you don't know these things?" Meng Fanle joked.
Hearing this, Long Wenjian said unhappily, "What does this have to do with getting married?"
"Okay, the brigade commander has taken into consideration that you know nothing and has found a respected person to preside over the wedding process for you." Milong joked with a smile.
"Who?" Long Wenjian asked curiously.
"My dad!" Meng Fanle said dejectedly, and Long Wenjian was also dumbfounded.
"Your father?" Long Wenjian felt a headache when he thought of that stubborn old man.
"What's wrong with my dad? What's that tone of voice? My dad is well-read after all, so shouldn't he be able to handle a simple wedding process with ease?" Meng Fanle said unhappily.
Although he felt that his father was a bit spineless, when it came to erudition, no one could match him.
"That's not what I meant. Isn't your father very stubborn?" Long Wenjian waved his hand.
"My father said that he was mainly grateful to you for ordering those books to be brought back, so he made an exception and let you officiate at the wedding!"
So that's what it was. Long Wenjian understood and secretly felt lucky that he had ordered all the books to be brought back.
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Seven days later, in Yangon City, Long Wenjian had a red robe on his chest, and in front of him was an infantry fighting vehicle. For this wedding, Lin Hao directly approved it and let Long Wenjian ride in the chariot to pick up the bride. This was much more magnificent than a sedan chair carried by eight people.
As expected, when the infantry fighting vehicle with red robes appeared on the street, it caused quite a stir.
"Wow, using a chariot to pick up the bride? So impressive." A young Chinese man said with great envy as he looked at everything in front of him.
"Hmph, look at them, they're picking up their bride in a chariot, and look at you, you don't even want a sedan chair~!" the woman next to her said unhappily.
"Oh, if I had known earlier, I would have joined the army. I was afraid that you would lose your husband in the end."
"You are just a coward. I don't know why I like you!"
"So cool, the chariot!"
“It’s really impressive!”
"Yeah, if I had known earlier I would have joined the army. It turns out there is this benefit."
Long Wenjian on the chariot didn't know all this. The roar of the engine covered everything. He was extremely nervous at the moment.
He was still in a daze until the bride-picking ceremony was completed.
"Brother Zhang, your superiors actually used an infantry fighting vehicle to pick up the bride?" As soon as Tao Jinling got on the vehicle, she was shocked. An infantry fighting vehicle was actually used as a wedding car.
"Yes, the host said he would give me an unforgettable wedding." Long Wenjian remembered what Lin Hao said before leaving.
Next came the process of worshipping heaven and earth, during which Lin Hao served as the witness and made a bold statement.
"From now on, when every officer and soldier of the Sichuan Army gets married, he will serve as the witness and bring gifts."
After the wedding, Lin Hao gave Long Wenjian a few days off and then convened another combat meeting.
The purpose of this time was to directly annex Siam, because according to the intelligence sent back by Ma Dazhi, the Siamese army had deployed three divisions to the border, waiting for supplies to arrive before launching an immediate attack.
Before that, Lin Hao took stock of his assets again. During this period, a lot of people were sent over from the other side of the Nujiang River. In addition to 5,000 women, there were also several thousand civilians. As for the defeated soldiers, there were also several thousand people, totaling nearly 20,000 people.
Moreover, the other side has guaranteed that a group of people will be sent over every week.
Since most of the main forces of Xiao Rizi's 56th and 18th Divisions were busy advancing westward and the Nujiang River's defense line was also opened up by Lin Hao, Xiao Rizi had to focus on defense.
The Sichuan Army easily established a secret transportation channel.
All the women were sent to various factories, mainly light industrial factories such as clothing factories, and the rest of the people were arranged to open up wasteland.
Those common people from the country have even mastered their farming skills to a high level, and under the Sichuan Army's policy of distribution according to work, they are particularly enthusiastic about their work.
Cut down forests to obtain wood to build houses and burn farmland.
Chinese people are born with earth-building attributes. As long as there is land, they can quickly turn it into arable land.
In addition, after the factories added a group of workers, various factories are also operating rapidly.
Coal plants, hydropower stations, steel mills, copper mines, and machine tools of all sizes are all being started up, and the Sichuan Army's primary industrial system is slowly growing and taking shape.
Although the current strength is still very weak, Lin Hao is very confident that it will not be long before the Sichuan Army's industrial system will burst out with powerful force, which will surely shock the whole world.
"Since the Siamese army has gathered a large force, why not eat them? It's only three divisions, right?"
"If you want to, transfer your third regiment over there, and also transfer the tank regiment and the artillery regiment over there, and fight to Bangkok in one go." Lin Hao said with great pride after reading the telegram.
"Brigade Commander, with nearly 10,000 people assembled at one time, our logistical supply pressure is enormous, and we have a serious shortage of trucks!" Milong spoke first.
After this period of training, the Sichuan Army had more and more drivers who could drive, but the number of trucks in stock was decreasing.
Hearing this, Lin Hao said with a smile:
"Don't worry, a batch of trucks, more tanks and infantry fighting vehicles will arrive soon!"
"Ayi, has the railway plan been released?"
Feeling that road transportation was too inefficient, Lin Hao decided to build a railway, so that the efficiency would be greatly improved in the future whether it was mobilizing troops or doing anything else.
"Commander, the design has been completed, but our steel mills are unable to produce qualified rails, and we don't have internal combustion engines, so even if we have a railway, it will be of no use." Lin Yi shook his head and said.
"Don't worry about these, they will be available soon!" Lin Hao smiled and said, then ordered others:
"Order, all troops to assemble in Chiang Mai as soon as possible. This time I will hold a celebration banquet for you at the Bangkok Royal Palace!"
Hearing this, everyone stood up and saluted, "Yes, please rest assured, Commander, we will complete the task."
Watching everyone leave, Lin Hao arranged various matters and then teleported directly to the United States.
Lin Yi’s reminder just now was correct. The rails, internal combustion engines, and carriages all need to be prepared in advance.
When we came to the United States, we purchased a batch of complete sets of railway loading and unloading equipment, such as unloaders, loaders, railway loading and unloading gantry cranes, etc., as well as various corresponding loading and unloading mechanical equipment.
Taking into account the previous report that armored vehicles combined with artillery are more effective than tanks, Lin Hao purchased more than 100 infantry armored vehicles.
Feeling the inconvenience of the M1, the US subsequently spent a large amount of money to purchase a batch of self-propelled artillery, which was an advanced version of the M1 Long Tom, the American M40/43 "Long Tom" self-propelled artillery.
Because it was too heavy, the Long-legged Tom had too much firepower, and because of the jungles of Southeast Asia, Lin Hao ordered 20 M7 Priest self-propelled artillery as a supplement. Lin Hao chose the M4B7 model designed with the M1 Sherman as the chassis, not the M3 with the M7 Lee tank chassis.
The M7B1 Priest self-propelled artillery has a combat weight of 23 tons, is 6.02 meters long, 2.87 meters wide, and 2.54 meters high. It is equipped with a 400-horsepower gasoline engine and has a maximum road speed of approximately 40 kilometers per hour.
This completely meets Lin Hao's needs, but considering that the M7 has no roof and will be used in rainy Southeast Asia, Lin Hao also had a simple roof installed on the M7.
There were quite a few small-scale aircraft in Siam, so for air defense, Lin Hao purchased a batch of self-propelled anti-aircraft guns.
Afterwards, Lin Hao replenished a batch of ammunition, brought back a batch of industrial machinery and equipment, and returned to the Yangon Command Center again.
After returning to the headquarters, Lin Hao asked Meng Fanle:
"Where have the troops arrived?" Lin Hao spent a lot of gold on this large-scale purchase. Now he had only one idea, which was to make money, so he wanted to rob Siam immediately.
"Except for the artillery regiment, the rest of the troops have arrived in Chiang Mai Province one after another. The artillery regiment will be able to reach the front line in one day at most." Meng Fanle reported immediately.
"Very good, tell Krupp that I will provide him with a batch of self-propelled artillery, and the artillery regiment will be promoted to an artillery brigade. Tell him to speed up!" Lin Hao nodded and said:
"Also, notify Zhang Yang that the Air Force should immediately enter Level 1 combat readiness and wait for orders to take off at any time."
The Air Force now has more than 50 fighter jets that can take off, which is enough to deal with the Siamese Air Force. Even if the small-time fighter jets come, he will not be at a disadvantage.
"Yes!"
"Order: After all troops enter the designated positions, launch an attack immediately and strive to reach Bangkok within a week."
"Yes!"
Watching Meng Fanle turn around and leave, Lin Hao muttered, "Whether we can get rich in one go depends on Siamese."
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In Chiang Mai Province, the main attacking force was replaced by the 3rd Infantry Brigade of Yao Ma, which had just arrived in Chiang Mai Province and had been equipped with most of the mechanized equipment.
Yao Ma never thought that one day he would be able to command so many armored troops.
In addition to expanding on the original basis, additional armored regiments, armored air defense regiments, and self-propelled artillery regiments were added, and the combat effectiveness was increased several times.
Compared with the dirt roads in Myanmar, the roads in Siam are much better, and at least self-propelled artillery of 20 to 30 tons can be used on them.
"Attack!" With the order, the Third Brigade of the Sichuan Army began to attack Phitsanulok Province.
At this time, the reconnaissance troops sent back the news.
"Report, the forward observation post called and they found that the Siamese Air Force has taken off and is heading towards us."
The communications staff officer reported quickly while holding a telegram, while Yao Ma listened expressionlessly.
"Aren't we equipped with an air defense corps? Let them try out their power." After listening, Yao Ma said calmly.
In the past, he might have been extremely panicked, but with more experience, he can now face it calmly, especially after seeing dozens of 37mm self-propelled anti-aircraft guns. He is now looking forward to the firepower of this guy.
"Yes, Brigade Commander, I think as long as their fighter planes dare to enter our airspace, we will definitely teach them a profound lesson." The communications staff officer said quickly.
"Well, by the way, send a telegram to the headquarters, asking them to keep our air force busy and go and take a look at the enemy's positions." Yao Ma said with a wave of his hand.
"Also, pass on my order. Once the enemy aircraft are repelled, all units will immediately launch a general offensive. Take Phitsanulok within one day, reach Ayutthaya in two days, and I want to see Bangkok in three days."
"Yes!" The messenger hesitated for a moment, but still conveyed the order.
At this time in the sky, four Siamese fighter planes were slowly carrying out a reconnaissance mission when they arrived over the position of the Third Brigade of the Sichuan Army.
Seeing the troops marching on the ground, the leader in charge of the command barked wildly: "Enemy spotted, enemy spotted."
"Each fighter plane will find its own target and destroy these bastards."
"Yes!" The voices of other pilots came over the radio.
Then the pilots began to descend and search for the target. At this moment, one of the pilots noticed a fire on the ground.
Just as he was surprised, he also discovered streaks of light in the air flying towards the location of the plane.
"Damn it, it's a tracer bullet! Be careful to avoid it!" The sharp-eyed Siamese pilot immediately realized that he had fallen into a trap, and quickly pulled up the nose of the plane and shouted loudly on the radio:
"Be careful, there is an ambush. We have been ambushed."
In fact, when he shouted, several other pilots also noticed it and subconsciously pulled up the nose of the plane.
At the same time, they found flames in several places, and beams of flames were flying towards them.
"Damn it, it's an anti-aircraft machine gun, it's anti-aircraft artillery, quickly avoid it, quickly avoid it." The pilot of the lead plane shouted loudly.
Unfortunately, a pilot who was slow to react was completely out of luck.
Before it could understand what was happening, it was hit by anti-aircraft machine guns and self-propelled anti-aircraft guns on the ground. The plane immediately started to smoke, circled in the air, and then crashed directly to the ground.
The other three Siamese fighters saw this and tried to escape, but their 37mm anti-aircraft guns were equipped with high-explosive grenades and semi-armor-piercing explosive bombs.
For airplanes, the power is simply terrifying. Sometimes the explosion at close range can produce fragments that can damage fighter planes.
Coupled with fully automatic reloading, it is no exaggeration to say that as long as you shoot accurately and quickly enough, you can keep chasing enemy aircraft.
Especially at this time, it takes at least three or four minutes for a propeller plane to climb from 500 meters to 2,000 meters, and during this time, it has already been targeted by anti-aircraft machine guns, not to mention that there are at least dozens of self-propelled anti-aircraft guns on the position, blocking the area from all directions.
Dealing with this kind of aircraft that flies low, moves slowly and has almost no armor is a piece of cake.
The performance of these fighter planes of the Siamese army was very poor, their climbing speed was very slow, and they had no way to avoid anti-aircraft machine guns.
But there was no choice but to climb, otherwise you would be hit.
"Oh my God, the speed is too fast, I can't escape!" said a Siamese pilot flying a fighter plane in horror.
He could clearly see the bullets chasing him like fiery snakes, and there was no way to escape except to scream.
"Swoosh, swoosh, da-da-da! Boom, boom, boom!"
Before he could scream for long, his fighter plane was destroyed in mid-air by countless bullets, and he didn't even have a chance to parachute.
"Damn it!" The Siamese leader roared in agony as he watched his wingman being shot down.
Unfortunately, as soon as he finished speaking, his fighter plane was hit by a bullet and followed the fate of his wingman.
Three of the four Siamese fighter planes were destroyed at once, and the last pilot looked at what was happening in front of him and couldn't believe it.
"Damn it, what kind of weapon is this? Why does it have such a terrifying attack speed?!"
"This anti-aircraft machine gun is too fast and too accurate."
It's not like he hasn't seen anti-aircraft machine guns before, but compared to the anti-aircraft machine guns in front of him, those previous anti-aircraft machine guns were just rifles. The enemy basically never stopped and kept chasing them and shooting.
If these anti-aircraft machine guns could stop for a while, it wouldn't be so tragic. Three fighter planes were shot down in just a few minutes. The efficiency is terrifying.
So I quickly contacted the rear base:
"Tower, tower, the 7th Squadron encountered an enemy ambush. The enemy not only has anti-aircraft machine guns, but also anti-aircraft artillery. We have lost three planes. We have lost three."
"Tower, tower, requesting evacuation, requesting evacuation."
Unfortunately, before he could finish his words, a volley of bullets came and blew him up in mid-air.
At this point, all four Siamese fighter planes were destroyed.