The War of Resistance: My Expedition, My Country

Even as Imphal was strengthening its fortifications to counter the Japanese offensive, history unfolded, and even sooner than expected. On the morning of the 13th, while crossing a Japanese blockade on the highway near the cell, the vanguard of the 200th Division was suddenly ambushed by the Japanese, exposing the entire division and trapping it. Forced into a fierce battle, the soldiers charged forward with bayonets pointed, facing a dense barrage of machine gun, rifle, and artillery fire. Only after paying a heavy price did they manage to break through the Japanese positions on the eastern hillside and escape.

During the fierce battle, a burst of machine gun bullets hit Dai Anlan in the abdomen. The guards quickly rescued the division commander, and the officers and soldiers took turns carrying him on a stretcher to break out of the encirclement. While dealing with the Japanese army, they struggled to run through the high mountain gorges and primitive dense forests in northern Myanmar. Huang Wei took over the command in time, suddenly changed the route, turned east, turned towards the Japanese army, and went towards the Japanese army between Nankham and Bhamo. Then he went around the east of Bhamo and sneaked to the southeast, unexpectedly got behind the Japanese army, and easily escaped from the Japanese pursuit.

Du Yuming received a telegram from the President outlining drastic measures, forcing his divisions to turn westward, taking a shortcut to Imphal. Considering the overseas Chinese accompanying them, Yu Shao's 96th Division volunteered to remain behind and continue their journey through Mengguan and Daluo toward the mainland. The 96th Division finally passed through Sunbulabeng and continued northward, reaching Putao, Myanmar's northernmost region, on June 6th. They discovered an ancient ethnic group living there. Although this was not under Chinese jurisdiction, the local chieftains wore the attire of Qing Dynasty officials, a curious sight. Furthermore, the locals were very friendly to the Chinese expeditionary force, and the troops felt like they had returned home.

Here, the 96th Division finally contacted the expeditionary force headquarters, and US aircraft also airdropped food, medicine and other supplies to Putao. The troops rested here for more than a month, and at the end of July, Yu Shao ordered the troops to set off for home.

The troops bid farewell to Putao, where they had lived for more than a month, and headed eastward, crossing mountains, deep forests, and river valleys. They finally reached the China-Myanmar border and arrived in Jianchuan on August 8.

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On the 13th, after a day of bloody fighting, Sun Liren and others once again defeated Harada's attack on Imphal. Of course, the Chinese army also suffered huge losses. The strength of the 112th, 113th and 114th regiments was reduced by one third. Most of these soldiers died in the mixed bombing of Japanese planes and artillery. Among them, the Japanese cruelly used poison gas bombs. The 28th Army, which was relatively weak in experience and equipment, suffered heavy losses. The 82nd and 83rd regiments were almost crippled. Fortunately, Pu Zhengsong and Liu Wu brought the 200th Division Special Forces to support in time, and the position was not lost.

During the battle, Luo Bing, acting commander of the 112th Regiment, was also wounded in the head. Fortunately, the injury was not serious. When Cai Yong, Liu Wu and other brothers came to visit him, Luo Bing smiled and said, "It is impossible for the Japanese to take my life. I must avenge this tomorrow."

The Japanese suffered heavy losses. The three infantry battalions of the 213th Regiment were now reduced to less than 500 men. Just as Harada was at his wit's end, the 33th Regiment of the 215rd Division, along with its artillery, cavalry, and tank units, arrived one after another. Following orders from the 33th Army Headquarters, these units were temporarily placed under Harada's command. Confident and resilient, Harada vowed to break through the Chinese defenses in Imphal and capture the city by the 15th.

That night, Sun Liren and his team discussed the next day's battle arrangements. At that moment, the Imphal garrison had only a little over 1 men, severely undermanned. Sun Liren's plan was to shrink the defenses, focusing on the city and the main route to Bangladesh. Sun Liren had received a telegram from Liao Yaoxiang of the New 22nd Division, stating that its troops had reached Homalin, Modu, and Yingduo. Liao Yaoxiang planned to leave a small number of troops behind to covertly support the other divisions, while the main force of the New 22nd Division would arrive overnight to join the defense of Imphal.

Sun Liren immediately ordered Liao Yaoxiang's troops to withdraw a regiment and rush to the area, while the remaining troops defended along the line to prevent the Japanese 18th Division from flanking. Simultaneously, Sun Liren received a telegram from Lieutenant General Scom, commander of the British 1st Army. Under pressure from British Prime Minister Churchill, Alexander was forced to dispatch the 1th Brigade and the 377th Armored Brigade of the British Indian 1st Army, which had completed its initial integration. The 133th Brigade, in particular, would be reorganized into the st Division. Scom also informed Sun Liren that the st Wing of the British Indian Air Force would dispatch aircraft to join the battle, and that the rd Wing of the US Air Force in India would also arrive to assist in the air defense operations at Imphal.

This news was like a ray of sunshine, piercing the gloomy sky, illuminating everyone's faces and cheering them up. Liu Bolong proposed that the remnants of the new 28th Division be disbanded and added to the 28st Division. This would be more conducive to improving the combat effectiveness of the troops. After all, the th Division could no longer bear the battle alone.

Sun Liren was about to agree when Yang Hong interrupted him. Yang Hong put forward his own idea: "Each unit can only grow through the harshness of battle. If we hastily withdraw and merge, it will leave a psychological shadow on the soldiers and will not be conducive to their growth."

Yang Hong suggested: "Reinforce the new 200th Division with the special forces of the 28th Division. With their leadership, the combat effectiveness of each unit of the 28th Division will definitely be improved!"

Yang Hong did this out of selfish motives. He hoped that by fighting together, his fourth brother (Pu Zhengsong) and others would gradually take over the new 28th Division and integrate the 28th Division. Ultimately, the 28th Division would become the foundation for the future success of the brothers, just like the 200th Division and the new 38th Division.

After carefully analyzing Yang Hong's opinion, Sun Liren and Liu Bolun agreed with his opinion. Pu Zhengsong was then appointed as the acting chief of staff of the new 28th Division (the original chief of staff had been seriously injured and evacuated to India with the first wounded soldier). Liu Wu led the special forces to join the newly reorganized 82nd Regiment and was appointed as the temporary chief of staff of the 82nd Regiment. After the integration, the new 28th Division temporarily took charge of the 82nd and 84th Regiments.

Regarding the defensive deployment, Sun Liren deployed the 113th and 114th Regiments, along with the division's artillery, cavalry, and tank battalions (a joint Chinese-British formation equipped with abandoned British tanks and armored vehicles), on the southern front, directly confronting the Japanese Harada's forces. The 112th Regiment and the 28nd Regiment of the New 82th Division were responsible for the southwest, focusing on defending several key areas to prevent the Japanese from seizing the main route to India. The New 28th Division's direct troops and the 84th Regiment defended the Imphal urban area and served as a reserve. With the arrival of the New 22nd Division, the remaining troops originally intended to defend against the Japanese eastward detour were forced to withdraw to defend the southeastern bank of the Dongdun River to prevent a surprise attack by the Japanese.