The super aircraft carrier Qilu of the Yellow Sea Fleet is docked in the northwest of the Zhongsha Islands, and the super aircraft carrier Yunnan and Guizhou of the Western Fleet is docked in the Andaman Sea, close to Moulmein.

At 6:00 a.m. on May 20, J-3 carrier-based aircraft took off from two aircraft carriers and bombed Saigon, where the 14th Army headquarters is located, and Bangkok, where the 16th Army headquarters is located.

The carrier-based aircraft on the Yunnan Guizhou arrived in Bangkok first and dropped several 500-kilogram heavy aerial bombs into the headquarters of the Sixteenth Army.

As a result, the call between Masaharu Honma and Jun Imamura was interrupted.

The fighter-bombers kept flying at very low altitudes without alerting anyone.

"Boom boom boom..."

The sudden explosion made the city of Bangkok tremble. Locals and Japanese woke up from their sleep and looked at the situation in panic.

Lieutenant General Jun Imamura, commander of the 16th Army, escaped from his headquarters in embarrassment surrounded by staff and guards.

The billowing air waves behind him lifted Imamura away. His body spun around in mid-air several times, and then hit a local resident's straw hut heavily.

The staff officers and guards who were with him were also in a similar situation, but many of them were not as lucky as him. Some had their necks broken, while others had their arms, legs, and ribs broken.

The key personnel of the Sixteenth Army Headquarters were "one pot".

By the time the surrounding soldiers pulled Imamura off his thatched house, the city of Bangkok was already in flames. Starting from the Japanese military facilities, the flames began to spread to the surrounding vegetation and buildings.

Before he could wake up in time, Imamura was carried out of the city by Japanese soldiers.

By the time he settled down again, the time had come to 7:00 am on the 20th.

The military doctor conducted a comprehensive examination and found that the Commander's physical condition is generally good, except for some minor concussions.

"Thank you Amaterasu for your blessing!" Many people prayed in their hearts at the same time.

A staff officer with a bleeding forehead took a telegram and reported to Imamura Jun:

"Your Excellency, Commander, the Chinese army launched an attack on us from three directions!"

"The shell flew directly over the Bilaoshan Mountains and fell into our army's forward position."

"Chinese heavy howitzers bombarded the Shan State Plateau from a high position. The imperial army north of Chiang Mai suffered heavy losses, and all the previously built fortifications were lost!"

Imamura dragged his shaking body to the battle map, and the staff immediately pointed out the direction of the Chinese attack on the map.

After looking at the map and then at the busy "command", the Commander first said:

"Rebuild the command headquarters immediately. I want to know the situation in all directions!"

The deputy chief of staff immediately took action.

Imamura Jun then asked:

"How many planes from China have arrived? How is the situation in the city?"

The staff officer with bleeding forehead felt this matter the most and replied:

"There are about two squadrons. The other party attacked the train station, airport, warehouse and headquarters controlled by our army. The radio station, telephone lines, etc. were seriously damaged. Currently, we can only communicate with the outside world through radio."

"Most of the cities in the city are made of wooden houses and thatched houses. Fires caused by explosions are extremely difficult to extinguish."

It seems that we must give up the idea of ​​returning to the city to establish a headquarters.

After fully waking up, Imamura began to issue orders to various divisions on the front line:

"Stick to the end, we must give full play to the advantages of the terrain, etc..."

...

Saigon.

As soon as Masaharu Honma dropped the phone, Huaxia's large fleet of aircraft arrived over the city.

The response of the 14th Army Headquarters was faster than that of the 16th Army. Masaharu Honma was not injured in the explosion, and all radio stations were protected.

"boom………"

Jet fighters flew over the city, making a huge roar, and the heavy bombs dropped by the fighter planes were clearly visible.

Masaharu Honma watched with her own eyes as two 500-kilogram bombs detached from the wings of the fighter plane and rolled into the military camp directly under the army.

Half a second after the aerial bomb landed, blazing flames rose over the military camp, and the light even overshadowed the rising sun in the east.

Witnessing this scene, Masaharu Honma took a breath of cold air.

I knew that China's incendiary bombs were powerful, but I didn't expect them to be so terrifying.

The crowd fled out of the city like crazy, and the streets were crowded with people, and there was chaos.

The sky was already bright, and the Chinese fighter pilots could clearly distinguish which ones were civilians and which ones were fleeing Japanese soldiers.

Fighter planes are like hunting goshawks, and the blazing cannons are their sharp claws. Every dive will leave two deep and continuous blood lines on the street.

The mutilated body parts of the beaten Japanese soldiers covered the streets, intertwined with the long lines of blood, like a modern abstract painting.

Masaharu Honma clenched her teeth, pursed her lips tightly, clenched her fists, and there was blazing anger in her eyes, but in the end it gradually fell silent and turned into a curse with unwillingness and powerlessness:

"Bagaya road!"

He turned away from the burning city and entered the headquarters that had been set up.

"Huaxia's artillery fire completely covered the Laojie and Zhennanguan positions, and we lost contact with the 65th Brigade in the Zhennanguan area. We tried calling many times, but there was no response."

The chief of staff had chapped lips and reported anxiously:

"The first half hour is China's artillery preparation time. After the artillery attack, the ground troops will attack. Judging from the current situation, Zhennanguan and Laojie may not be able to defend, and a second line of defense must be built early!"

The chief of staff recommended reducing the number of troops and defending the Hanoi area.

Masaharu Honma stared at the map and said after a long time:

"China's first round of attack is the most violent. We must hold on and never allow retreat!"

It has been less than an hour since the war started. If the order to retreat is given now, how will the next battle be fought?

This precedent cannot be set, Zhennanguan and Laojie must abide by it!

The chief of staff murmured a few times, and finally conveyed Honma Masaharu's order honestly.

………

The Seventh Corps has six armies, five armored divisions, three China-Burma divisions, and at least 3,000 heavy artillery pieces with a caliber of over 100 mm.

At 6:30 a.m., 3,000 heavy artillery pieces opened fire while Air Force fighter planes bombed.

The shells fell like a violent storm into the defensive positions of the Japanese Sixteenth Army and the Fourteenth Army. Under the concentrated fire attack, the Japanese had no chance to raise their heads.

The flames of the explosion flashed across the sky like lightning, and the sound echoed back to the border towns, like muffled thunder.

Many Chinese people came out of their houses in their clothes and looked at Annam and Siam which were burned by artillery fire.

Under artillery fire, the ground troops on the west and east roads slowly advanced.
Chapter completed!