The War of Resistance: My Expedition, My Country

"Rose, look closely at that place. The Japs have two mortars and a heavy machine gun. Give them a hit!"

Lieutenant York and the direct-fire gun team quietly circled to a severed window sill on the third floor of the building. They were able to clearly see the Japanese heavy machine gun fire point and the faint mortar flames. York quickly indicated the direction to the gunner, and Ross quickly turned the direct-fire gun into position, and the loader quickly loaded four shells into the chamber.

"Boom boom boom boom", the shells flew past at high speed, "boom boom boom boom", the explosion exploded at the Japanese firepower point, and the evil Japanese devil Kimura Akito, along with his machine gun team and artillery team, were all destroyed in the righteous anger!

"Baka, baka!" Oda cursed helplessly, unable to offer a better solution. In just two hours, the Third Squadron, including Captain Kimura, had lost over 40 men. Instead of advancing a single step, they retreated to the outskirts of the city, taking refuge in trenches dug by the Chinese on the outskirts. The Second Squadron, deprived of support on its left flank, was forced to halt its attack and divert its limited forces to prevent a Chinese counterattack. The Fourth Squadron fared no better. A pre-planted explosion sent seven or eight soldiers flying into the air, and a sudden onslaught of Chinese tanks drove them back to their starting point.

Oda knew that his brigade could no longer fight. He sighed, picked up the phone, and asked the brigade headquarters for tactical guidance!

Lieutenant Colonel Kazuo Kobayashi, commander of the 215th Regiment, was also helpless upon receiving Oda's request for assistance. He had considered many more aspects than Oda. He was well aware of the implications of the order from General Iida, commander of the 15th Army. However, the tenacity of the Chinese army had completely exceeded the expectations of the Japanese high command, and this was more than Harada could bear alone. If things went wrong, even Division Commander Okazaki might have returned home to retire.

Chief of Staff Sato Uichirō observed this and whispered something in his ear. Kobayashi understood what he meant. In fact, he had already anticipated that, given the current situation, it would be impossible to capture Imphal tomorrow. He and other high-ranking Japanese officers were probably looking for excuses to cover up their incompetence. Kobayashi even predicted that Harada would be dismissed and transferred tomorrow for some reason. This way, no one would be held accountable for Lord Iida's orders, and they would have more time to capture this damned Imphal!

"How is the progress of the troops bypassing Dongdun River?" Kobayashi asked.

"It's not ideal. The Chinese army's position on the opposite bank is very strong. The engineering regiment has failed many times to build a pontoon bridge." Sato replied.

"The 213th Regiment's roundabout attack on the Yingmeng Highway should have no effect, right?" Kobayashi continued to ask.

Sato nodded. "According to aerial reconnaissance reports, the Chinese and British armies have established a temporary pontoon bridge and road across the Dongdun River north of Imphal. The Chinese army's retreat is accelerating, which is largely related to the armed rebellion in Myanmar." Sato continued, "The 18th Division's northward detour has been pinned down by the Chinese Army's new 22nd Division. Coupled with the rainy season and the destruction of the roads by the Burmese, a breakthrough is difficult!"

"Also, according to intelligence, several British troops are heading towards Imphal. The Air Force has reported that the British Air Force and the US Flying Tigers have already arrived. The Third Air Corps lost over 10 aircraft yesterday alone, and the bombing of the Chinese retreat route has ceased."

"It seems that Imphal may become the largest battle in the Burma Campaign," Kobayashi said to himself.

Sato continued, "Not only that, the US, Britain, and China are likely to fight a decisive battle with us here!"

Kobayashi agreed with this. He walked to the observation post ahead and stared coldly at the dark, low sky. Sato didn't interrupt Kobayashi, as if he were thinking about something. He walked to the makeshift sand table, observing the intertwined flags of the two armies on the sand table while pondering the direction of the battle.

After a long moment, Kobayashi turned around and quickly walked up to Sato. After hesitating for a moment, he whispered to Sato, "Order each team. Those who shoot can do so, but those who attack will hold off."

Similarly, Colonel Harada has also received information about the battles of various units tonight. He is no fool. He knows very well that it is impossible to take Imphal tomorrow after the war has been going on for so long. Harada disdains the strict order from Commander Iida. As a senior colonel-level officer like himself, Iida would not dare to execute himself even if the battle fails. Besides, the Battle of Imphal was not originally in the headquarters plan. This was a combat plan added by Iida to gain qualifications. Even if it fails, he is the one who is most responsible.

Harada was also well aware that his military career might be over. What awaited him might be returning to China to serve as a military academy instructor or join the reserve forces. Harada was actually exhausted. From the September 18th Incident in China to the present, he had grown from a lieutenant battalion adjutant to a main regiment commander, and had fought very hard for the empire. After all, the empire was too small. Its population, industry, economy, and depth were far inferior to those of European and American countries. Harada was not sure why the military had opened the Southeast Asian and Pacific battlefields. He sat down dejectedly, poured a glass of sake, and began to recall the pleasant days in Manchuria...

"The Japanese army can't attack anymore!" The chief of staff walked up to Sun Liren with joy on his face.

Sun Liren nodded slightly, but he didn't stop what he was doing. He continued to carefully observe the situation on the map. He recalled what Yang Hong had said that afternoon: "It is estimated that the Japanese army will be exhausted tonight and unable to attack. When the regiment of Division Commander Liao arrives, tell them not to participate in the street fighting in the city. As much as possible, they should be deployed east of the city along the Dongdun River. The current focus of the battle should be on preventing the Japanese 18th Division from moving north. The withdrawn units should be required to extract their best forces to assist Division Commander Liao's new 22nd Division in organizing a defense along the line of Dahomalin, Modu, and Yingduo!"

"This Yang Hong has thought of everything. It's really a blessing to have such an assistant." His suggestions coincided with Sun Liren's ideas, which made Sun Liren admire his abilities even more.

The British 377th Brigade and the th Armored Brigade were expected to arrive early tomorrow morning. The arrival of these two reinforcements would undoubtedly bolster their combat effectiveness. However, how to effectively deploy them remained a crucial issue. Sun Liren decided to discuss the specific deployment of these two units with Yang Hong and invited Brigadier Generals Strand and Martin to participate in the decision-making process.