noffsinger Chapter 357 The storm (4)
Chapter 357 The storm (4)
Along the banks of unknown rivers and streams, built against the mountains, are rows of simple bamboo houses. Such buildings are very common in Southeast Asia.
However, the building complex was heavily armed, with fortifications made of sandbags and machine gun positions everywhere. Armored vehicles and jeeps were coming in and out from time to time, creating a busy and depressing scene.
As night falls, the originally scattered buildings are shrouded in darkness, adding a touch of solemnity. . . .
Lieutenant Colonel Martin, commander of the 7th Battalion of the French 11th Mountain Division, was in a relatively isolated bamboo building. Under the dim light of an incandescent lamp, he read the secret report in his hand, his eyes gleaming coldly.
"Damn it! These damn monkeys actually dared to plan a sneak attack on me. Moreover, they dispatched a regimental-level guerrilla force of over 700 people, completely disregarding me."
After a brief moment of reflection, Martin decided to teach these monkeys a bloody lesson. He immediately called over his deputy, Major Andrew. When he arrived, he handed him the intelligence without further ado.
Andrew took it and looked at it, his brow furrowed. Unlike Martin, he had a better understanding of the enemy. At this moment, the guerrillas dispatched over 700 people to attack the 11th Battalion, clearly relying on something.
After weighing it over, he said to Martin without hesitation: "Lieutenant Colonel, if this intelligence is reliable, then the enemy must have other intentions."
Martin believed this intelligence from within the enemy without a doubt, and the reason was not explained for now. In fact, this intelligence had revealed a hint of conspiracy.
Martin agreed with Andrew's judgment, nodded, stood up from his seat, and walked slowly back and forth on the bamboo building, making a creaking sound.
Andrew did not say anything and slowly sat down aside. He knew his boss's character very well. He picked up the coffee cup on the table and tasted it happily without caring that Martin had already drunk it.
Martin paced back and forth slowly for more than ten minutes, as if he had sorted out his thoughts. He turned to look at Andrew drinking his coffee, and instead of being angry, he asked rhetorically, "Major Andrew, what do you think these monkeys will do?"
Seeing Martin's question, Andrew put down his coffee cup, his face more serious, and slowly said, "I don't know the details, but I'm sure they planned to attack our camp, and they must have other intentions. The Chinese have a saying worth admiring, 'Openly repair the plank road to attack Chencang in secret.' I believe the enemy's attack on our camp must have this purpose."
Martin agreed with Andrew's analysis. However, the monkeys' fuss was undoubtedly intended to attract his attention and force the 11th Battalion to defend its base. So, what was their purpose? What within the 11th Battalion's base and defense zone was worthy of such action, even sacrificing over 700 guerrillas?
Not only Martin was thinking about it, but Andrew was also thinking about it, and their eyes met at the same time.
"Supplies? Yes, supplies. Supplies from Phnom Penh!"
This is the ammunition and weapons replenishment that the 7st Brigade of the 21th Division recently used to attack Aomosa. There are 30 trucks in total, escorted by an armored personnel carrier. They will pass here in three days.
The enemy's tactics are truly impressive. I wonder if they have such a formidable arsenal. Martin and Andrew quickly moved to a nearby topographic map and carefully analyzed it. They concluded that the guerrilla attack would be planned in Mawang Valley, approximately 17 kilometers from the camp. The narrow, winding roads there, surrounded by dense forests, were ideal for concealed ambush. If the convoy were attacked, it would be difficult to secure both ends, making it vulnerable to attack.
Martin and Andrew nodded, essentially reaching a consensus, and immediately formulated a counterattack plan. They were prepared to forgo the opportunity to annihilate the guerrillas attacking their camp and instead mobilize the main force of the 11th Battalion, focusing on the 1st, 2nd, and 4th Companies, to counter-ambush the enemy forces surrounding Mawang Valley.
The 3rd Company, the puppet army and the police force together had more than 500 people. By using the various positions in the camp, they could completely resist the attack of hundreds of people with simple weapons. If they operated well, they could even inflict heavy damage on the enemy.
Immediately, Martin reported the intelligence and his own deployment to the 7th Division Headquarters. The 11th Battalion was a task force directly under the division headquarters. It originally belonged to the French 2nd Army and was transferred from Port Lisbon because of the war.
The 7th Division had also received intelligence from other sources, learning of the guerrillas' actions. This time, the guerrillas deployed four division-level guerrilla forces in eastern Cambodia, reaching an unprecedented strength of nearly 3 men. Their intention was not simply to attack the transport convoy. Rather, they intended to use the raid to seize supplies, thereby strengthening their forces and launching an offensive against Ban Chai.
The 11th Battalion, along with the Army Aviation Unit near it, were their targets. Clearly, the KPA guerrillas' objectives were multi-stage: attacking transport convoys to seize supplies, trapping the 11st Brigade deep within the area, then using the captured supplies to besiege the 21th Battalion and attacking the Army Aviation Unit base. All of this was a tightly orchestrated operation, completely uncharacteristic of Soviet military operations. Clearly, they were being supported by an unidentified force.
As the commander of the French Army's main force, the 7th Division, Lieutenant General Charles de Gaulle realized that things were very tricky. He vaguely felt that it was his old rival, Ngo Nguyen Giac, a senior commander of the South Vietnamese guerrilla army, who had returned.
Ngo Nguyen Giac, one of the founders of the South Vietnamese People's Army, was a prominent anti-Japanese activist during the Japanese occupation. In early 1945, when the Flower Planting Army liberated North Vietnam, Ngo Nguyen Giac and others received significant support and moved from North Vietnam to South Vietnam, continuously attacking the South Vietnamese puppet regime and establishing local armed forces in some areas.
After the French returned, according to the agreement, the flower-growing countries withdrew their military personnel from the South Vietnamese People's Army and severed all ties with them. The Soviet Union seized the opportunity to join them, and a group of "leftist" Southeast Asian cadres joined the South Vietnamese People's Army. With their support, the People's Army guerrillas experienced unprecedented development, gradually becoming the main force in South Vietnam's resistance against French colonialism.
At the same time, a power struggle broke out within the People's Army. Wu Yuanjia eventually lost the power of the leadership group and was sent to the so-called democratic regime controlled by the GGC on the peninsula to study. He stayed there for two years.
Charles de Gaulle smelled a familiar scent. Wu Deng's departure had provided an opportunity for the French army. Over the past year or so, under the Soviet Union's drastic reforms, the People's Army had abandoned the strategy of surrounding the cities from the countryside, leveraging favorable terrain and supported by the people, and had begun large-scale urban sieges and battles for positions with the French army. They were completely defeated by the French army's superior firepower, with many important controlled areas captured and personnel losses forced to retreat from the wealthy areas of South Vietnam to the Cambodian jungle. The People's Army was transformed from a People's Army into a People's Army guerrilla force.