The War of Resistance: My Expedition, My Country

Two Japanese squadrons of approximately 500 men had already arrived at Koguwa and Sutterdam. Finding the Chinese garrisons relatively sparse, Major Hatoyama, in command, prepared to split his forces to capture both locations. Just as he was about to act, he received news that the 214th Regiment had been ambushed north of Koguwa and Sutterdam. Hatoyama was shocked. With two squadrons equipped with two 92mm infantry guns, it was doubtful they could capture Koguwa and Sutterdam. If the Chinese were using this as a decoy, two squadrons would be no match for the Chinese. Meanwhile, the Chinese were quietly ambushing the 214th Regiment. Based on past Chinese combat practices, the number of soldiers defending Koguwa and Sutterdam was undoubtedly greater than the number of soldiers currently stationed. Therefore, the Chinese must have ambushed troops nearby.

Major Hatoyama suddenly realized this and broke out in a cold sweat. He immediately ordered his men to halt the operation and quickly report the situation to Colonel Harada. Faced with this situation, Colonel Harada was momentarily unable to accurately assess the specific strength of the Chinese army. Recalling Araki's attack on Magway the previous night, Harada concluded that the Chinese army must have at least three or four divisions deployed there. Otherwise, they would never have had the courage to attack Araki's 214-plus men last night, let alone attack Sakuma's th Regiment today.

After careful consideration, Harada decisively ordered Hatoyama and his men to halt their operations and defend the area. At the same time, he urgently reported to Sakurai, pleading with the division commander to lead the main force to support them as soon as possible.

Harada decided to proceed with his plan, undeterred by other developments. Perhaps due to historical circumstances, it worked remarkably well. The Japanese troops advancing north along the Irrawaddy River smoothly carved out a path that even the Burmese rebels, acting as their guides, were astonished. Delighted, Colonel Harada immediately dispatched all his available troops. Under the unified command of 213th Regiment Deputy Commander Matsushita Takeshi, they advanced north of Yenangyaung.

After defeating the remnants of the Japanese 214th Regiment, Yang Hong and his men reported to Skom and the First Expeditionary Force headquarters while organizing a northward movement. They also notified the two companies in Keguwa and Satdan to follow suit. Yang Hong's plan was to maneuver east of Yenangyaung, waiting for an opportunity to launch another surprise attack on the northward Japanese advance.

On the evening of the 21st, Sakurai Shozan rushed to Magway without stopping and met with Harada. At this time, Major Hatoyama brought the news that the Chinese army had evacuated Koguwa and Satdam. Sakurai immediately asked Hatoyama to seize Koguwa and Satdam. After a brief discussion with Harada, with Magway as the base camp, Harada led the 33rd Division Infantry Regiment Commander Headquarters and the 215th Regiment, the attached 11th Tank Regiment and the Engineer Team, totaling more than 5000 people, to attack the Bin River Bridge north of Yenangyaung from the west, occupy Guiyue and Chokbedang lines, and then return to the south to attack Yenangyaung; with the 33rd Division Chief of Staff Colonel Seizaburo Okazaki leading the 213th Regiment, part of the 33rd Artillery Regiment, the attached 21st Brigade Artillery Team, and the 51st Independent Supply Corps The brigade, numbering over 5000 men, advanced northward along the line between Koguwa and Satdan, attempting to encircle the Chinese army, a force roughly equivalent to an entire corps, at Yenangyaung. Meanwhile, Sakurai ordered a portion of the rd Air Corps, which was assisting him, to launch continuous attacks on the Yenangyaung area.

Early on the morning of the 22nd, over 20 Japanese aircraft returned to Yenangyaung, launching another round of indiscriminate bombing of Yenangyaung and surrounding suspected Chinese positions. The Japanese aircraft reported their aerial reconnaissance findings to Sakurai: Chinese forces were establishing a new defensive line around Yenangyaung, with a strength of approximately one division. This further convinced Sakurai that at least one Chinese army was deployed nearby. He immediately ordered Takeaki to launch a powerful offensive to draw the Chinese forces out, and ordered Harada to accelerate his flanking attack. Sakurai planned to launch a full-scale offensive against the Chinese forces on the Yenangyaung front on the 23rd.

That same day, the 96th and 286th Regiments of the 287th Division and a battalion of the 38th Regiment of the New 114th Division arrived at Chokpatnam. By then, the British-Indian 1st Burmese Division had retreated to Yokkoy. From Yokkoy, Scolm drove to Chokpatnam and met with Yu Shao, commander of the 96th Division. According to the Sino-British command arrangement for the Western Front, Lieutenant General Scolm, as commander, ordered Major General Yu Shao to move the two regiments of the 96th Division southward and join the 38th Regiment of the New 112th Division in the defensive operations at Yenangyaung, awaiting the arrival of the British-Indian 7th Armored Brigade and part of the Chinese 55th Division to annihilate the Japanese 33rd Division. A battalion of the 112th Regiment was responsible for defending Chokpatnam.

Yang Hong and his colleagues also received orders from Scom and the First Expeditionary Force's headquarters. Yang Hong temporarily assumed command of the Sino-British joint force and code-named it "Dragon." Yang Hong laughed inwardly. A dragon is a dragon. I'm going to be the one who overturns the seas and make the Burma campaign the starting point for the rise of the Chinese army!

During his free time, Yang Hong contacted his superior, Huang Wei, by radio. He learned that Huang Wei now effectively controlled the 200th Division, and that Dai Anlan had become the Deputy Commander of the 5th Army. As they coordinated the westward movement of the new 22nd Division and the Provisional 55th Division, Yang Hong warned Huang Wei and the others not to let the current situation distract them from the possible course of history. Huang Wei informed Yang Hong that the brothers were already preparing a jungle retreat, and urged him to prioritize their safety and seek an opportunity to escape the Sino-British conflict in Yenangyaung.

The sudden attack launched by the Japanese army's Okazaki Seizaburo unit caused heavy losses to the advance battalion of the 112th Regiment and the 96th Division. Although the Chinese army fought bravely, due to the huge gap in manpower and equipment, the Japanese army quickly captured Yenangyaung. The 112th Regiment and other units had to retreat to the Yenangyaung oil field and Binhe Bridge.

The 112rd Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 3th Regiment now had only about 70 men left. As darkness fell, they were isolated south of Yenangyaung, pursued by dozens of Japanese troops. Their company commander had long since died, and the deputy company commander, Liu Qi, was commanding the soldiers to retreat into the surrounding jungle. The 3rd Company had nearly run out of ammunition, and a breakout to the north was clearly impossible. Liu Qi, thinking of the Sino-British joint force that had attacked the Japanese, believed they must be to the southeast, so he ordered his men to break out in that direction.

"Commander, the commander of the 1st Battalion has been killed in battle, and all the battalions and companies have been dispersed. What should we do now?" The commander of the 112nd Battalion of the 2th Regiment rushed into the temporary command post of the 112th Regiment with a wound on his head and said anxiously to the commander Chen Mingren.

Chen Mingren asked, "Where is the deputy division commander?" The deputy division commander of the new 38th Division was Qi Xueqi. At the most dangerous moment, he personally led the 112th Regiment's direct platoon to rush towards the oil field, which was the defense zone of the 2nd Battalion.

The commander of the 2nd Battalion said to Commander Chen: "The position has been breached by the Japanese army. The deputy division commander has moved towards the Bin River Bridge under the cover of the guards."