Chapter 240 Landing on the Island
"I'm a little impressed by that guy." Major General Vandergrift and his old friend Colonel Evans Carlson. Not far in front of them, two British guys were being watched as they were doing hard work, constantly carrying boxes of supplies onto the transport ship.
"Like I said, it may be faster to find him than to contact Washington, but I suggest you be prepared." Colonel Carlson replied.
"Prepare, what preparation?" Major General Vandergrift didn't know why.
"Based on my experience, when he does something for us, it's almost time to come and ask for something, you know? Last time he emptied the Midway database almost empty." The colonel was a little bit He recalled with lingering fear.
Before he finished speaking, He Chi walked over from a distance.
"Mr. Major General, I would like to ask you to do me a favor."
The two people opposite quickly exchanged glances.
"Look, what did I say?" "Damn it, Evans, you didn't mention this in the first place!"
Colonel Carlson just made an excuse and ran away. The major general gathered his emotions and said with a smile, "Of course, my dear He, you have helped a lot this time. If there is anything I can do, please feel free to do so."
Sure enough, He Chi was not only rude, but made a very troublesome request as soon as he opened his mouth.
"I hope that my men and I can board a transport ship independently. It would be better if it could be larger."
"Why?" the major general asked with some confusion, his In my impression, He Chi's so-called subordinates only had the thirty-odd Japanese surrender troops, which could not even use a quarter of the smallest transport ship.
"Because I have an extra group of followers." He Chi pointed at the five indigenous people behind him who had just changed into British military uniforms.
"They are your attachés?" The major general looked at these guys who were still playing with spears and bows and arrows, and didn't understand what reason He Chi used to connect the two parties.
"You see, they once served the British army. Strictly speaking, they are our peripheral informants, and I am ordered to command all the intelligence forces in this area. Doesn't this just mean that they are under my command?" He Chi said casually Made up an excuse.
But in fact, He Chi’s reasons are very utilitarian. These Melanesians have lived in this area for generations. They are real local snakes and played a very important role in several battles in the Solomon Islands. .
No need, no use.
"But they don't speak English, and even so, there are too few of you. It would be a waste to take a transport ship..." The major general still hesitated.
"It doesn't matter, because I have been in contact with the British for a while before. Although these people don't speak English, they can understand simple conversations, and you don't think they are mixed up with the soldiers like this. Will there be any trouble?”
"That's it." The major general thought for a while and had to admit that what He Chi said made sense. Not to mention these natives, even those Japanese soldiers who surrendered had many Americans who were unwilling to contact them.
After weighing the situation, the major general decided to return a favor to the other party, "Okay, I will communicate with Mr. Turner. If there is extra transport capacity, I will meet your request."
Because of this sentence By the way, when the First Marine Division boarded the ship collectively, He Chi's more than 40 "entourages" boarded a small transport ship that could originally transport 300 people.
Of course they did not waste precious transportation capacity, because Kojiro Iiguni, a second-hand dealer, also brought a lot of "local products".
"God, this smells so strong. Hey, what did your people bring?!" Colonel Evans Carlson pinched his nose and complained, and Roosevelt Jr. behind him also wrinkled in a rare way. frowned.
Because these Japanese soldiers were shouting "Hey yo hey yo" and were carrying baskets of things with a strong fishy smell onto the ship.
They are all salted fish. "Where did you get the fish?" the colonel asked, standing upwind.
"Hey? Don't you know? Your soldiers often go fishing at the beach during their breaks. There are a lot of fish here, so Kojiro and the others exchanged a batch of chewing gum for pickling. "I saved it for half a month, so the quantity is a bit larger." He Chi replied indifferently.
"Hey, aren't those guys planning to sell these fish?" the colonel asked uncertainly.
"Sell? Of course not? Just in case." He Chi shrugged, and then shouted in Japanese into the distance, "Hurry up! The ship is about to leave, we have other things!"
"Hai!" Kojiro, who was the leader, bowed and replied after hearing this, and then urged his men to carry other boxes onto the ship.
Four, soybeans, chocolate, salt, medicines...all kinds of supplies were carried on the ship in full boxes.
“These are all your things?”
“Of course, what Kojiro and the others traded were paid for or exchanged for things.”
"Is this what you got in exchange? This is an experimental drug that has not been widely used yet." The colonel pointed to a small box with the sign "Penicillin" written on it.
"Um~ At that time, the field hospital happened to be running out of coffee beans, so Kojiro and the others helped a little bit."
"He, what are you thinking?!" Carlson frowned Mei asked.
"Allow me to be patient, I will explain later." He Chi did not respond directly.
When the transport ship left the coast, Carlson was still confused. He asked Roosevelt behind him, "Is he going to set up a multinational business group?"
"I don't know, but judging from the intelligence we have, he never does anything meaningless." Roosevelt Jr. also looked into the distance and responded.
——
On August 6, 1942, the US military landing formation used the cover of bad weather to reach a position sixty nautical miles away from the target.
In the early morning of the next day, more than a dozen warships and aircraft carrier-based aircraft of various types used naval guns and aerial firepower to violently bomb the two islands. Then 18,000 American soldiers shouted slogans and launched attacks on Tulagi and Guadalcanal occupied by the Japanese army.
The fighting situation on both sides is very different.
The Japanese troops on Tulagi Island launched a fierce resistance when they were attacked. The defenders of the telecommunications room finally sent out the message "The enemy is strong, defend the telecommunications room and fight to the last man." before making the final attack. .
The battle ended at dawn, and all 1,500 Japanese defenders were killed except for 23 who were captured. Brigadier General Rupstas, with the cooperation of aircraft, naval guns, and 81mm mortars, sacrificed 200 men. It took casualties on the left and right to clear the entire island.
On the other side, the division commander Major General Vandergrift attacked Guadalcanal and occupied the beachhead in a marching posture almost without firing a shot.
But something ridiculous happened later.
There are woods near the landing site. The major general discovered it after he led the soldiers into the woods.
They are lost...
(End of Chapter)