diymy Chapter 744 The people of Lanfang ran away. They ran very fast, taking tanks, trucks, and artillery
Chapter 744 The people of Lanfang ran away. They ran very fast, taking tanks, trucks, and artillery
Layton looked up.
"General, do you mean—"
Allenby put the bamboo pole down.
"Order all troops to cross the river at dawn tomorrow. The vanguard will consist of 150,000 men. Follow-up troops will follow in succession. The objective is to first drive the Lanfang people out of the Sinai Peninsula, and then pursue them all the way to Dubai."
He walked to the window and looked at the gray sky in the distance.
"Tell the soldiers that they can go home after this battle."
Early morning of February 12, Suez Canal.
The moon was round and bright, its light reflecting off the water, creating shimmering silver patterns. The canal water was still, flowing slowly northward toward the Mediterranean Sea.
At the ferry crossing, engineers were building a pontoon bridge. Huge pontoons were pushed into the water, planks were laid on top, and secured with ropes. No one spoke; only the clanging of hammers and the creaking of planks rubbing together filled the air.
On the riverbank, soldiers stood in long lines, awaiting the order to cross. They carried rifles and ammunition pouches, their faces expressionless. Some smoked, some stared blankly, and some gazed up at the full moon, lost in thought.
A young soldier asked the veteran next to him, "Squad leader, are we going to fight the Lanfang people?"
The veteran glanced at him.
"Um."
Are the people from Lanfang impressive?
The veteran remained silent for three seconds.
"I don't know. But I heard they have quite a few tanks."
The young soldier swallowed hard.
"Tanks? Do we have tanks?"
The veteran shook his head.
"Us? We only have two legs."
The young soldier's face turned pale.
The veteran patted him on the shoulder.
"What's there to be afraid of? Tanks are driven by people too. If they're driven by people, they can be killed."
A whistle blew in the distance.
"First group, onto the bridge!"
The soldiers began to walk towards the pontoon bridge. The planks creaked under their feet, and the river flowed quietly beneath it. No one spoke, only the sound of footsteps and the occasional cough could be heard.
The moonlight shone on those advancing figures, casting their shadows long and thin on the water.
At four o'clock in the morning, the entire British vanguard crossed the canal.
150,000 people set foot on the land of the Sinai Peninsula.
Allenby stood on a high point on the east bank, watching the troops gathering. Moonlight shone on his face, illuminating his sharp eyes.
Chief of Staff Layton walked over and said quietly, "General, the advance troops are all in position. The follow-up troops are crossing the river."
Allenby nodded.
He looked at the dark desert in the distance, at the shadowy sand dunes, at the places that were about to become battlefields.
"Leyton, send a telegram to London: Our troops have crossed the canal and are advancing toward the Lanfang position."
Layton nodded and turned to leave.
Allenby stood there alone, looking at the increasingly bright eastern horizon.
It's almost dawn.
On the morning of February 12th, in the heart of the Sinai Peninsula, at the Lanfang front-line command post.
Zhao Dengyu had been standing in front of the sand table for two full hours. On the sand table, small red flags represented the British army, and small blue flags represented Lanfang. Red arrows were surging from the direction of the canal, densely packed, like a swarm of ants.
Chief of Staff Li Tiejun stood beside him, holding a reconnaissance report in his hand.
"Commander, the reconnaissance plane just reported that the British crossed the canal last night, with an advance force of at least 150,000 men. The advance is still ongoing, and the total is estimated at 400,000."
Zhao Dengyu nodded without saying anything.
Li Tiejun continued, "They didn't have many tanks; the reconnaissance plane only spotted a few dozen. They were all Mark I models, the older ones."
Zhao Dengyu finally raised his head.
"Four hundred thousand men, dozens of tanks. Allenby is trying to drown us with sheer numbers."
Li Tiejun was somewhat nervous: "Commander, there are 400,000 men, and we only have 120,000. Even if we have 500 tanks, can we manage?"
Zhao Dengyu looked at him and smiled.
"Old Li, you've been with me for three years. When have you ever seen me fight a battle I wasn't confident of winning?"
Li Tiejun was stunned for a moment.
Zhao Dengyu picked up the phone and connected with each division.
"Pass on my order—the entire army retreats two hundred kilometers."
A gasp came from the other end of the phone.
"Commander? Retreat?"
"Retreat? We've been building up our positions for three months, and we're just going to retreat without firing a single shot?"
Zhao Dengyu yelled into the microphone, "Retreat! Can't you understand human language? Let the British chase us, let them chase us as far as possible!"
He put down the phone and looked at Li Tiejun.
"not understand?"
Li Tiejun shook his head.
Zhao Dengyu walked to the sand table and pointed to the location of the canal.
"Look, the British have just come from the canal and are still close to it. If we fight them now, they'll just retreat back to the other side of the canal."
He swung his hand backward.
"Let's retreat and let them chase us. The farther they chase us, the further we'll be from the canal. When they reach our heartland, our supply lines will be stretched out, our formation will be scattered, and we won't be able to run anymore—"
His hands clenched shut abruptly.
"If we turn around and give them a shout, they won't be able to escape."
Li Tiejun's eyes lit up.
"Commander, are you trying to turn the tables? Yes, after the retreat, order the 7th Division to turn around and detour through Arish, then go to Gnaye behind the British, blocking their way back to the canal!"
Zhao Dengyu smiled.
"Make dumplings. Make dumplings for 400,000 people."
He walked to the window and looked at the troops gathering in the distance.
"Tell the brothers, don't panic or make a ruckus when you retreat. Tanks, trucks, jeeps—we're better on foot than the British. They can't catch us."
He paused.
"Once they're exhausted and can't keep up the chase, that's when we'll reap the rewards. In short, in this battle, our forces number 120,000 against 400,000, so the advantage is on our side!"
At 8:00 a.m. on February 12, the Lanfang army began to retreat.
More than 500 tanks turned east, forming a dozen or so columns, kicking up clouds of dust. Trucks followed behind, packed with soldiers. Artillerymen attached their guns to tractors and retreated with the main force.
Zhao Dengyu stood on a jeep, watching the retreating army.
A young communications soldier ran over, saluted, and said, "Commander, the 7th Division is calling! They're asking if we need cover?"
Zhao Dengyu shook his head.
"No need for cover. Let them retreat. Tell Liu Zhenjie to stay close and not fall behind."
The communications soldier turned and ran.
Li Tiejun walked over and said softly, "Commander, do you think the British will fall for it?"
Zhao Dengyu looked at the sand dunes that were getting further and further away in the distance.
"Yes. Four hundred thousand people, chasing 120,000. If you were in their shoes, would you chase them?"
Li Tiejun thought about it.
"Chase."
Zhao Dengyu nodded.
"That's right."
The jeep started and drove east.
Behind them, in the direction of the Sinai Peninsula, the vanguard of the British army was approaching.
On the afternoon of February 12, the advance troops of the British army arrived at the Lanfang position.
The position was empty.
The trenches were dug deep and wide, in accordance with the consistent standards of the Lanfang army. Firing platforms, bunkers, and ammunition depots were all present. But inside the trenches—they were empty.
Allenby stood by a trench, looking at the empty fortifications.
Chief of Staff Layton walked over, his expression somewhat complicated.
"General, the Lanfang people have escaped. They've escaped very quickly; they've taken all their tanks, trucks, and artillery with them."