The War of Resistance: My Expedition, My Country

In Taunggyi, Huang Wei led the 200th Division in a counterattack against the Japanese, capturing Taunggyi in one fell swoop and seizing control of all bridges and key intersections along the Taunggyi section of the Tounggu-Lashio highway. General Dai Anlan, acting on orders from the Expeditionary Force Headquarters, commanded the 5th Army's direct troops and the temporary 55th Division to rapidly advance along the China-Burma Highway to Lashio. According to reports from a unit of the 6rd Division of the 93th Army, elements of the 56th Division had secretly crossed the jungles of eastern Burma and emerged northeast of Lelem. The 49th Division, retreating along Lelem, was under attack from elements of the 55th Division advancing northward from northeast of Tounggu. Clearly, the Japanese were attempting another Yenangyaung Campaign, attacking from the south and making flanking moves from the north. At this point, both the 6th and 49rd Divisions of the 93th Army were spread thinly, with some units even hastily retreating northward from Mongbin, Monglao, and Mongdong, on the eastern Burma-Thailand border. The Japanese had deployed approximately 2 troops, a division and a half, on the eastern front, a force the 6th and 49rd Divisions of the 93th Army were clearly unable to withstand. President Chiang Kai-shek sent an order in Chongqing: The 6th Army Command must organize defense with Lashio as the center, wait for an opportunity to defeat the part of the Japanese army moving north, and ensure the security of Lashio and the southern Yunnan border; the 5th Army Command should resist the enemy with Dongzhi line, and the 200th Division and the 55th Division should organize defense with this, wait for an opportunity to annihilate part of the Japanese army.

After arriving in Mandalay, Stilwell, in light of the course of the war, consulted with Luo Zhuoying and Du Yuming and decided to continue the fight in Mandalay. Consequently, the 66th Division of the 28th Army, which had been stationed in Burma, moved south, while the 66th Division, led by the 29th Army Headquarters, took charge of the rear defense of Myitkyina and Bhamo.

On the 25th, the main force of the Japanese 55th Division launched another offensive against the 200th Division's position in Taunggyi. The brunt of the attack was a fierce artillery bombardment of the 600th Regiment's 2nd Battalion, led by Qin Shi, at the Wata Temple position in the southern suburbs of Taunggyi. Qin Shi knew that history had already begun to change. The Japanese forces attacking Taunggyi were now the 55th Division, not the 56th Division. Huang Wei, Kuang Zhengqi, and others had already prepared a response to this weak position. Pu Zhengsong, due to Huang Wei's promotion to deputy division commander, effectively commanded the 200th Division. Pu Zhengsong, the Lieutenant Colonel and Deputy Chief of Staff of the 600th Regiment, had been transferred to division headquarters to oversee the upgrade of weapons. Wang Congwu was also promoted to major and merged the 600th Regiment Repair Shop and the Division Headquarters Repair Shop. He produced a number of small-caliber catapults specifically for defense, which mainly launched cluster grenades, hand grenades, etc. Wang Wu became the captain of the 600th Regiment Special Operations Team, leading dozens of selected elite soldiers to specialize in sneak attacks. These small catapults became one of their standard weapons.

"Old Seven is here." Qin Shi shouted happily when he saw Liu Wu.

"My second brother (Kuang Zhengqi) asked me to assist you. It seems that the 55th Division, this soft persimmon, wants to break through you." Liu Wu said seriously without joking with Qin Shi, and continued to ask: "How many people are left in your 2nd Battalion? How should I arrange my people?"

Qin Shi said: "I still have nearly 300 men under my command. It shouldn't be a big problem to defend the temple. It's just that the Japanese artillery fire is too strong. I dare not let go."

Liu Wu nodded and said, "Brother, hold on until the afternoon. Don't let the Japanese rush into the position. My men will go around and see if there is a chance for the Japanese artillery to attack."

Qin Shi quickly ordered, "Seventh Brother, be careful. The commander on the other side should be that guy Xiao Yuanze. You've messed with him several times. Be careful that he might set a trap for you."

"Don't worry, brother. This time I'll do it in the daytime. No matter how hard Oharazawa tries, he'll never figure it out. I'll get him in the daytime!" Liu Wu replied confidently. Accompanying Liu Wu were the special forces of the 598th Regiment. All three regiments of the 200th Division had formed special forces teams, and the Japanese had suffered enough from them recently.

After Liu Wu and the others left, Qin Shi was still worried and quickly called the regiment headquarters. "Second brother, Lao Qi and the others are planning to launch a surprise attack on the Japanese artillery during the day. Isn't that a bit dangerous?"

On the other end of the line was Colonel Kuang Zhengqi, deputy commander of the 600th Regiment. He calmly replied, "Don't worry, Third Brother. This is my arrangement, Seventh Brother. The regimental artillery company has already moved to their flank and is ready to support their actions. You just need to hold the temple. It's best to make that old guy Xiao Yuanze bleed more in your place!"

Qin Shi understood, put down the phone, thought about it, and called the company commanders of the 2nd and 3rd companies. He moved the machine guns of the two companies forward and prepared to strengthen the crossfire and fight the Japanese army.

"Colonel, the defenders on the opposite side should be the 200th Regiment of the 600th Division. It is useless to use artillery on their front-line positions." Major Sabei, Chief of Staff of the 112th Regiment, said to Colonel Oharazawa.

"Old rival!" Oharazawa said calmly, and quickly instructed the Chief of Staff, "Concentrate the mortars of the First and Second Battalions. Order Captain Doze of the First Battalion to coordinate with the mortar captain. I want the shells to explode 20 meters in front of the attacking infantry, so that we can advance in a coordinated manner!"

At this time, the chief officers of the battalions and squadrons of the 112th Regiment had almost all been replaced. The current commander of the 3st Battalion was Duo Ze Youbing, the former deputy commander of the 500rd Battalion. Except for artillery and miscellaneous personnel, there were only about people in the entire battalion who could actually fight in the front.

Doze quickly communicated with Second Lieutenant Oda Sasaki, the mortar commander, and the various guns were adjusted. By then, the regimental artillery company and the division's mountain artillery company had ceased fire. At Doze's command, a squadron of Japanese soldiers, under the command of their squad leader, advanced in skirmish formation.

The Japanese also changed their tactics, placing a small squad in the front, which was then divided into three groups. The machine gun and grenade launcher group was in the rear, the spearhead group was in the front, and the squad sergeant led the assault group in the middle. The five spearhead soldiers advanced in a V-shaped formation, with one forward and two covering, following a circular echelon movement. They quickly advanced dozens of meters.

"Yoshi!" The squad leader's mustache moved, and he waved his hand. The other two squads immediately followed suit. The squad's Type 30 heavy machine gun began to fire fiercely, and two grenade launchers also began to whiz down within meters in front of the spearhead soldiers.

The Japanese squad moved to about 150 meters outside the Wat Temple. Doze nodded to the mortar squad leader at the back, and the two Japanese mortar squads with 8 mortars began to fire at the area 2-30 meters in front of the Japanese spearhead soldiers.

“Boom!” A shell exploded in front of Zuo Bingwei. Zuo Bingwei rolled forward and hid in a shell pit. The two team members who followed him also came to his sides. The second round of shells landed about 20 meters in front of him. Using the explosion as cover, they advanced another seven or eight meters.