The War of Resistance: My Expedition, My Country

As expected, the 112th Regiment of the Japanese Army did not continue to attack the position of the 600th Regiment, while the 143rd Regiment of the Japanese Army increased its attack on the position of the 598th Regiment. The two sides fought back and forth on the first and second-line positions of the 598th Regiment. At the most dangerous moment, the Japanese army almost occupied the second-line position of the 598th Regiment. Fortunately, Commander Dai also sent a battalion of the 599th Regiment of the reserve force into battle, and Qin Shi also led the 600nd Battalion of the 2th Regiment to counterattack and support from the side. When it was almost dark, the Japanese army had to retreat.

Although the Japanese 143rd Regiment suffered considerable losses in this battle, the 598th Regiment suffered even greater losses, with less than 1000 men remaining capable of fighting. Division Commander Dai had no choice but to withdraw over 200 men from the division's supply battalion and other units to reinforce the 598th Regiment.

Night was actually the time when East Asian soldiers were most active. Both the expeditionary force and the Japanese army were experts in conducting night raids. Therefore, even after the daytime fighting subsided, both sides did not relax their vigilance. Both sides deployed small teams to their front lines to prevent surprise attacks from the other side.

However, what the Japanese army did not expect was that a surprise attack team composed of some soldiers from the artillery company directly under the 600th Regiment, a repair shop, and a platoon from the 3rd Battalion had quietly crossed the jungle and mountains from the south side while fierce fighting was taking place at the 1th Regiment's position in the afternoon, made a big circle, and arrived near the base of the Japanese 598th Regiment.

Huang Wei and his men clearly had a reason for sending so many troops for this surprise attack. At this moment, the Japanese army, under the banner of liberating the Burmese people, welcomed the arrival of the Japanese army with open arms, even though the various ethnic groups in Burma had suffered persecution under British colonial rule. The various ethnic resistance forces within Burma had effectively allied themselves with the Japanese army. Their support made the Japanese advance highly targeted, a key factor in the British army's massive defeat at the outset of the battle.

Huang Wei and his team had to avoid encounters with Burmese residents and rebels along the way, so they took a detour through the primitive jungle. Also, because of the presence of rebel guerrillas, the Japanese army would not be prepared for the expeditionary force to launch a surprise attack from the flank or rear.

Pu Zhengsong, the team leader, had already found the best location for an ambush. Most of the Japanese 112th Regiment was stationed at the foot of the mountain where he had set up his ambush position. Several Japanese guards there had already been silently eliminated. At this moment, he had the advantage of the terrain for the sneak attack and quickly had everyone set up the "unscrupulous cannons". At the same time, the three mortars of the regiment's direct artillery company were also adjusted. Based on observation, Pu Zhengsong's plan was to use the three mortars with high accuracy to mainly attack the enemy's artillery positions and ammunition depots, and the six unscrupulous cannons to attack the enemy's tent camps, striving to inflict large-scale casualties on the Japanese. Pu Zhengsong felt a little regretful that he did not discover the enemy tank unit at the 3th Regiment's base.

Pu Zhengsong was clearly overthinking things. The Japanese 55th Division's temporarily reinforced tank regiment consisted of only four tank squadrons, supplemented by captured British tanks along the way, totaling just over 50 tanks. Just today, the 600th Regiment had destroyed another dozen. At this moment, Colonel Kudo Yoshio, commander of the 112th Regiment, was being scolded by Major General Horii Tomitaro, commander of the 55th Division's infantry. The commander of the 1st Battalion, responsible for coordinating the tank regiment's attack, had committed seppuku.

After completing all preparations, Pu Zhengsong immediately ordered the attack. "Boom boom boom!" the propellant hurled the ignited torpedo packs from the hillside into the enemy camp. "Boom-boom-boom!" the massive explosions echoed, throwing the enemy into disarray. As luck would have it, a heartless torpedo landed outside the 112th Regiment's headquarters tent. Major General Horii Tomitaro, commander of the 55th Infantry Regiment, who was reprimanding Kudo Yoshio and his men, was struck in the head by flying debris from the explosion, killing him instantly. The rest of the 112th Regiment's officers were either killed or wounded. Kudo Yoshio was thrown to the ground, but he quickly scrambled to his feet and ran out of the tent, screaming!

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!" Kudo Yoshio, bloodied and deafened, kept shouting. Thunderbolts rained down indiscriminately on the Japanese camp, and massive explosions echoed from time to time. Such attacks, surpassing the power of 155mm artillery, were unprecedented for the Japanese. In the darkness, flames from the explosions shot up into the sky, illuminating the entire Japanese camp. Fear and confusion gripped every Japanese soldier, who fled in all directions, disorganized. Some tried to organize themselves for a counterattack, but under such a fierce attack, they could not find the enemy's direction.

The sound of gunfire, shouts, and screams mingled in a symphony of terror. Kudo Yoshio watched helplessly as his regiment fell into ruin, his heart filled with despair and anger. Then, not far away, an explosion erupted in the regiment's mountain artillery position. One of the mortar shells detonated the enemy's ammunition depot, creating a chain reaction that made the Japanese 112th Regiment feel as if it had entered its final days.

Although Pu Zhengsong had some unfinished thoughts, his mind was clear. After all the ammunition had been fired, he decisively issued the order to retreat. The team members quickly packed up their equipment and quietly left along the designated route.

After the explosion, the Japanese army cleaned up the mess while frantically searching for the attackers. Division Commander Hiroshi Takeuchi soon received a report that the 112th Regiment had been attacked. While horrified, he calmly wondered, "Could it be the British? Do the British have heavy artillery here?" Units of the 55th Division also quickly received notification of the 112th Regiment's base being attacked. They began evacuating overnight and dispatched search parties in all directions, determined to locate the British heavy artillery observer.

In the direction of Tonggu, Division Commander Dai and his men also rose up upon hearing the violent explosions coming from the Japanese direction. Although it was dark, the occasional flashes of light and rumbling explosions in the distance let everyone know that the enemy was being attacked. As Dai Anlan and his men were speculating about who was attacking the enemy, he suddenly remembered Huang Wei's words.

Division Commander Dai immediately called the 600th Regiment and asked, "Captain Huang, did you attack the Japanese?"

Huang Wei calmly said to the division commander, "Commander, Pu Zhengsong and his men must have succeeded. I'll report the specific results to you after they return!"

"Well done!" Commander Dai loudly affirmed. "We must commend the meritorious soldiers. Report to me tomorrow about the meritorious soldiers from today's battle and tonight's night raid. I'll commend them to the higher-ups!"

Dai Anlan put down the phone, and the deputy division commander and chief of staff also came over. Dai Anlan said happily to everyone, "Sending Huang Wei to the 600th Regiment was the best thing we did. Just now, the assault team he sent attacked the Japanese army. Judging from the movement just now, the Japanese army must have suffered heavy losses!"

"Huang Wei was an inconspicuous guy in the General Staff Headquarters, but he became a different person after he went to the 600th Regiment." The Chief of Staff said with joy that his former subordinates were now successful and he was proud of it!