Chapter Sixteen: The Final Battle in Malaysia (Part One)
One
At 4:00 AM on December 13, 2007, the FH-77B 155mm howitzer of an Indian Army artillery regiment had been continuously pounding the south bank of the Rogan River in northern Sumatra for four hours. The sharp whistling and intense explosions were nothing new to Major Shan Yu Cheng of the Cambodian Royal Army, who had been holding the Rogan River defense line for 4 days and nights. He squatted in the trench, lit his last cigarette, and waited for the Indian Army's general offensive. Even strategic weapons like Lethal Fire III had been used. The Indian Army could no longer break through, and it was really time to bid farewell to the ancestors of Jiangdong.
The ASEAN military forces deployed along the Sungai Rokan River were mainly composed of three parts: the 41st Engineer Battalion of the Cambodian Royal Army in the central salient area, the Rapid Deployment Division of the Thai Royal Army on the southern line, and the 3rd Brigade of the 3rd Division of the Singapore Army in the northern Tumasik area. In addition, a composite infantry regiment of the Vietnamese People's Army served as a strategic reserve in North Kuantan Bharu.
To be honest, in the four-day tug-of-war between the Indian Army and the Lao Gan River, the Thai army and Singaporean army did not perform worse than the Cambodian army. But all this is meaningless now, as the 57th Mountain Division of the Indian Army has launched a helicopter assault, swooping eastward to outflank the ASEAN coalition's defensive line south of the Lao Gan River. If the ASEAN coalition continues to hold on to the Lao Gan River line, they may eventually be surrounded by the Indian army in the water network of rivers and swamps crisscrossing the Lao Gan River, Gamba River, Guantan River, and Hari River.
The Allied forces were forced to abandon the advantageous defensive positions along the Lohit River and retreat southwards. Utilizing the only intact road network in the area - the highway from Ledo to Tengchong, as many mechanized troops as possible would be withdrawn from the encirclement of the Indian Army.
Indian Army tanks and infantry reappeared in the muddy terrain on the north bank of the Rokan River. The artillery battles over the past few days have made the low-lying wetlands of the Rokan River even more treacherous. Indian Army T-72M1 main battle tanks moved clumsily, followed by Indian infantry covered in mud.
"Order snipers to pay attention and change positions in time, anti-tank groups provide cross-support."
The 41st Engineer Battalion of the Cambodian Royal Army again took on the task of covering the entire army's retreat. After most of the troops had withdrawn, Shanmugam led only a handful of snipers and anti-tank teams to actively block the Indian army's advance on the vast front line.
With a crisp gunshot, Shan Yu Cheng could clearly see an Indian officer standing on the tank with a bullet hole in his forehead through the telescope. Immediately afterwards, snipers hiding at various firepower points opened fire one after another, and the bullets of the Indian Army whizzed by.
Perhaps having learned from the previous two assaults, Indian Army tanks did not rush into battle. They stayed out of range of the Cambodian Army's anti-tank rocket launchers and supported infantry advances with their main guns and coaxial machine guns.
"Each group alternates to withdraw from the battlefield." Realizing that there was no more advantage to be gained, Shanmugam Ramanathan had no choice but to lead his troops in withdrawing from the Rogan River defense line they had held for four days. Of course, he did not forget to leave behind countless landmines and booby traps as a surprise for the Indians.
The Rogan River originates from the Ophir Mountains in the Padang Highlands of Sumatra, flowing north and northeast, emptying into the Malacca Strait near Bagan Siapi-api, with a total length of 276 kilometers. Only when Shan Yu Cheng retreated did he realize that this winding river was so beautiful under the rising morning sun after guarding it for so long.
After withdrawing from the defensive position, San Yu and his troops did not retreat southward to the southern part of Sumatra like other Southeast Asian Allied Forces. Anyone with a little military common sense knows that it is extremely dangerous for tens of thousands of mechanized troops to move through a dense network of highways under threat on their flanks. So San Yu chose another route for him and his troops: eastward.
Shanmugam's daily and nightly vigilance at Rogan River revealed that for the Indian Army to truly control the Malacca region, Dumai was absolutely its strategic base in central Sumatra. With the oil industry in Dumai (accounting for 80% of Indonesia's total oil production) as a support, India's massive mechanized army could truly break free from logistical constraints.
Dumai is the largest oil output port in Indonesia, accounting for 60% of the country's total oil exports. Located on the east coast of Sumatra Island, it borders the Dumai Strait, with Rupat Island shielding it from the outside, and the Malacca Strait beyond. The city has an area of 6 square kilometers and a population of approximately 140,000. It has a complete set of oil refining facilities, with an annual refining capacity of 6 million tons, and is connected to the Duri and Minas oil fields and the provincial capital of Pekanbaru by pipelines and highways. In the 1970s, it was already equipped with a 100,000-ton-class oil tanker dock and a 20,000-ton-class floating dock. The nearby area is an important fishing base in Indonesia. It has ferry connections with Malacca Port and Tanjung Balai in Malaysia across the strait, making it a gateway to southern Peninsular Malaysia from Sumatra Island.
Singapore army, frightened by intercontinental missiles, easily gave up such a strategic location.
Yamauchi did not expect his lightly armed infantry to hold Doumei. However, he was confident that by launching guerrilla warfare around the city and constantly harassing the Indian Army, making it difficult for them to rest and eat. After sending the wounded back, Yamauchi carefully selected over 1,000 subordinates who were skilled in guerrilla tactics and disguised themselves as local tribal armed forces advancing towards Doumei.
The situation in Dumai was far more complicated and chaotic than what Mount Yu had imagined. The small port city had already been packed with refugees coming from all directions. Everywhere were refugee camps set up by the Islamic humanitarian organization Red Crescent Society. The only military force within the city was hundreds of marine police from Malaysia.
After gathering intelligence, Shan Yucheng finally learned that the Red Star Society had set up a refugee camp here to accommodate refugees fleeing the war from all over the region. They were evacuated to Malaysia via the ferry between Dumai and Malacca Port and Tanjung Pagar. This operation lasted for 3 days.
"Women's benevolence!" After understanding the situation, Shan Yucheng immediately realized the severity of the situation. Although there are no large ports in the region currently controlled by the Indian Army from Bandar Aceh in northern Sumatra, and the Malacca Strait is just a stone's throw away, if they do not seize a superior port area before launching a large-scale amphibious assault, the Indian military still faces the risk of suffering heavy casualties. And now the Malaysian government allows unidentified refugees to enter the country for simple humanitarian reasons, which undoubtedly provides the best hotbed for the enemy's special infiltration.
"Rat-a-tat-tat", the familiar sound of automatic rifle fire came from the direction of Duma Port's harbor district. Shan Yucheng quickly ordered his subordinates to form a combat team, advancing and retreating in unison, fighting with all their might to regain control of the harbor district.
The operation to seize Dumai Port was not originally in the plans of the Indian military. However, Dabirah, the former leader of the Indonesian military government who was dissatisfied with playing a supporting role on the ground in Sumatra, volunteered to take charge of this operation. He used his "influence" in the area to create a scene of refugees flooding out of Dumai Port and mixed his subordinates among them to legally sneak onto the Malay Peninsula. The Indian military soon discovered the strategic significance of this move and quickly assembled two battalions of special forces from the 57th Mountain Division to coordinate with Dabirah's actions.
At this time, Dumai Port had already become a bloody battlefield. The snipers of Daburaki mixed with the refugees and opened fire on the Malaysian marine police. The scene was chaotic, and countless innocent refugees fell under the crossfire of both sides. The firepower of the Malaysian marine police could not suppress the opponent's crazy sweep. And the gunman holding AK-47 rode a pickup truck equipped with heavy machine guns and rushed to the port area...
Shan Yucheng and his men quickly seized the high ground in the harbor area - an old cargo ship anchored inside the harbor. From a commanding height, they poured down intense fire, constantly sweeping away the disguised gunners who charged into the harbor. But soon Shan Yucheng realized that his efforts were in vain. Two Russian-made Mi-28H "Night Hunter" attack helicopters appeared in the skies above Du Mai Port. The 2A42 30mm cannon made it impossible for Cambodian soldiers to lift their heads. And the Indian Army's new infantry fighting vehicle, the Abhay, also arrived on the scene. The 57th Mountain Division of the Indian Army, feared by ASEAN coalition forces, had already arrived...
