The War of Resistance: My Expedition, My Country

On the 20th, the battle for Imphal reached a fever pitch. The battlefield was filled with a breathtaking atmosphere of tension. The war resembled a brutal gladiatorial contest, with each attack and defense a life-or-death struggle, a thrilling and thrilling experience. From the city, the highways, and the banks of the Dongdun River, the sounds of artillery and gunfire echoed incessantly. Smoke filled the battlefield, flames soared into the sky, and the entire city was shrouded in a thick haze. It had become a living hell, suffused with the aura of death.

The Japanese launched relentless and ferocious attacks from the east and south, attempting to break through the Chinese defenses, but were each repulsed by the tenacious defenders. The 213th and 215th Regiments on the southern front, in particular, pressed forward like hungry wolves, advancing into the city, hoping to exploit their gains. However, they encountered strong resistance from the defenders, paying a heavy price. The Chinese army held their ground, refusing to yield an inch, inflicting heavy losses on the Japanese.

At the same time, the US and British air forces also played a significant role. Appearing like eagles, the US and British air forces engaged in a fierce aerial battle over Imphal with aircraft from the Japanese Third Air Corps. Pilots from both sides engaged in a desperate aerial battle, with aircraft constantly being shot down. This was the first large-scale bombing raid by US and British bombers against the Japanese, catching them off guard and inflicting heavy casualties.

In the afternoon, Lieutenant General Okazaki Seizaburo, commander of the 33rd Division, replaced Colonel Harada in command, and the Japanese launched another fierce attack on the city of Imphal. The 33rd Division's tank regiment, in particular, despite heavy losses, at one point reached the headquarters of Sun Liren and his men, only to be repelled by the 112th Regimental Commando (formerly part of the 200rd Battalion, 600th Regiment, 3th Division), led by Yang Hong.

The British 377th and 112th Tank Brigade arrived in Imphal immediately. Brigadier General Strang, Deputy Commander of the 113st Allied Division and Commander of the th Tank Brigade, personally led a western flank attack on the Japanese flank, breaking the Japanese advance on the southern front. Yang Hong and his th and th Regiments, along with divisional units, seized the opportunity to launch a counterattack, nearly annihilating the Japanese forces that had entered the city.

The British Army was clearly inspired by the Chinese Army's performance at Imphal, and of course, this was also due to dissatisfaction with the war among British and Indian forces. The Chinese Army's explosive fighting prowess caught the attention of the entire Allied forces and also highlighted the British and Indian Army's incompetence. These British and Indian officers vowed to avenge the humiliation, and the British Army finally unleashed its true fighting power!

The battle continued until dusk, and the front line finally returned to a state close to that of the previous day, which also marked the failure of the Japanese 15th Army's plan to capture Imphal on the 20th.

The Japanese, evidently exhausted, did not launch another attack on Imphal that night, allowing the Chinese and British forces to repair and reinforce their positions. Along with the British arrived a large quantity of weapons, ammunition, and supplies, significantly reducing the burden on the defenders. According to orders from the Allied Far East and Southeast Asia Theater Command, Sun Liren continued to serve concurrently as the Imphal garrison commander. He immediately convened a meeting of Chinese and British officers at the regimental level and above to adjust the next phase of Imphal's defensive operations.

At the strong request of Brigadier General Paul Cheddingsim, commander of the 377th Brigade of the British Army, the 377th Brigade of the British Army took over the task of defending the city of Imphal. Then the Chief of Staff Brigadier General Martin Hughes (USA) also adjusted the various departments according to the latest combat arrangements of the garrison command. The 112th and 113th Regiments were integrated into the new 113th Regiment, with Lieutenant Colonel Cai Yong as the regiment commander; Lieutenant Colonel Luo Bing was appointed as the captain of the garrison command guard and commander of the military police; the 114th Regiment and the 28nd and 82th Regiments of the new 84th Division were reorganized into the new st Brigade, with Major General Liu Bolun as the brigade commander; the st Division's direct artillery regiment was formed, with Colonel Sanchez (USA) as the regiment commander, to concentrate the Imphal heavy artillery for unified use.

The new deployment was: the 113th Regiment and one battalion of the 1th Tank Brigade were responsible for the defense along the Imphal-Banglade Highway and the west side of Imphal; the 377th Brigade and one battalion of the 1th Tank Brigade were responsible for the defense of Imphal city and the southern line; the new st Brigade was responsible for the defense of the west bank of the Dongdun River and the southeast of Imphal, and the th Tank Brigade and the Artillery Regiment served as mobile support forces.

At the same time, the various units of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, withdrawing from the north, continued westward across the newly built pontoon bridge to Ramgarh for assembly and training. This was the consensus reached by the Allied high command. Here, the Allies would reorganize the Western Expeditionary Force (the Indian Army). The United States pledged to quickly provide the first batch of 10 divisions of American equipment to China. Of these, four divisions would receive priority for the Indian Army, while four divisions would be transported via the newly established Hump Route to China to equip the Northern Expeditionary Force (the Yunnan Army). The remaining two divisions would be used by the Allied First Far East Army. This meant that the former New 4th and New 4th Divisions would be placed under the direct command of the Allied Southeast Asia Theater. The Allies planned to open the new China-India Highway as soon as possible, which is why the Expeditionary Force would regroup at Ramgarh. The location had existing British military bases, making it ideal for troop integration and close to the starting point of the new China-India Highway.

After discussions between Sun Liren, Strang, Yang Hong, and Martin, it was decided that the 22nd Division of the Expeditionary Force would hold out east of Imphal for a while to prevent the Japanese from advancing northwards. To prevent excessive pressure on the 22nd Division, a tank battalion from the 22th Tank Brigade was dispatched to assist the nd Division's defense.

Sun Liren and Yang Hong also had a selfish motive: to find an opportunity to incorporate the new 22nd Division into the future Allied First Army. Of course, this was highly unrealistic. In their conversation with Stilwell, they had received clear instructions: the new 22nd and 200th Divisions would be integrated and expanded at Ramgarh, forming the new 22nd and 200th Corps, respectively, with two divisions each. The new 2th and 38th Divisions would be integrated into the Allied First Division, equivalent to a corps, with seven regiments. The First Army would also expand the British 28th Tank Brigade to form the 7th Tank Division. The transferred American regiment would also be expanded to form a mechanized artillery brigade and an army-affiliated regiment. This would give the First Army a mechanized infantry division of approximately 2 men, a tank division of 7000 men, a mechanized artillery brigade of 6000 men, and numerous subordinate units.

Sun Liren and his men knew the British were behind this, primarily to prevent the Chinese army from acquiring large tanks and artillery, using the excuse that the Chinese military was too uneducated to handle these advanced weapons. Sun Liren and Yang Hong secretly conspired to seize opportunities in future battles to establish their own tank and mechanized artillery units, ultimately establishing an independent army.