The War of Resistance: My Expedition, My Country

"Deputy Commander Yang, I deeply admire your tactics!" When Liao Yaoxiang saw Yang Hong who had rushed back, he immediately went up to him, shook his hand warmly, and complimented him from the bottom of his heart.

Yang Hong said modestly: "Commander Liao, you are too kind. We just took advantage of the Japanese army's arrogance and underestimated the enemy to teach them a profound lesson."

The two men walked into the command post while talking. Liao Yaoxiang was a lieutenant general and division commander, and was also the designated commander of the new 22nd Army of the First Route of the Expeditionary Force (Indian Army). Yang Hong was a colonel and deputy division commander with the rank of major general. In theory, he should be Liao's subordinate, but at this moment, Yang was also the deputy commander of the Imphal garrison, and the garrison command was also the command of the operations in the Imphal area. In fact, the lieutenant general Liao should obey the command of the deputy commander, Colonel Yang.

Division Commander Liao summoned Deputy Commander Yang to the sand table at headquarters. Pointing to the terrain, he detailed the surprise attack plan he had discussed with Liu Shuren, commander of the 200th Regiment of the 599th Division. Yang Hong listened intently, his eyes fixed on the terrain, his mind mulling over the situation. He meticulously analyzed the Japanese deployment and the situation of the 200th Regiment and other units, silently calculating the feasibility of the surprise attack and its potential gains and losses.

When Commander Liao saw that Yang Hong didn't respond immediately, he didn't care. He knew that Yang Hong needed time to think and evaluate. Meanwhile, Commander Liao's thoughts drifted back to the past. He began to recall Yang Hong's rise from the Battle of Yenangyaung, and battle examples emerged in his mind one after another. As he delved deeper into these examples, Commander Liao became increasingly astonished, and his admiration for Yang Hong grew deeper. With Liao Yaoxiang's abilities and his habit of leading troops in battle, he wouldn't have dared to fight a single battle against such a disadvantage. However, this once insignificant young man beside him was able to skillfully leverage his status as a battalion commander to leverage the entire battlefield and ultimately achieve victory! Commander Liao was deeply impressed by this courage and wisdom.

Yang Hong also came back to his senses from his analysis, smiled apologetically at Lieutenant General Liao, and said, "Sorry, Commander Liao, I was distracted!"

Liao quickly waved his hand and said with a smile, "Deputy Commander Yang must have a better idea. Please give me some advice."

"I'm sorry to bother you, Commander Liao, but I don't have a better way. Commander Liao has already made the best arrangements." Yang added quickly, fearing that he would cause misunderstanding to Liao.

Liao continued to ask, "Does Deputy Commander Yang have any additional comments? Is this plan feasible?"

Yang replied, "The plan is entirely feasible and meets the needs of the current operation. However, it may not be easy for us to attack Mutaguchi Ren'ya's headquarters. Instead, it would be more practical to focus on attacking the Japanese army's baggage train. The Japanese army no longer has air superiority, and their supply lines are dwindling. If we succeed in destroying the Japanese army's baggage train, we will be able to deal a greater blow to the Japanese army and reduce the threat to the battlefield!"

"Oh, Deputy Commander, why don't you tell me what you think?" Yang smiled faintly and said slowly, "Division Commander Liao, you will continue to attack the Japanese troops at this point according to the established deployment. If necessary, bluff and pretend to attack the Japanese headquarters. As for me, I will lead the 113th Regiment of the First Division to make a roundabout move and attack the Japanese army's logistics and strive to destroy the Japanese stockpiles!"

Yang Hong pointed to the relevant points while Liao Yaoxiang listened and pondered. Liao asked, "When will the 113th Regiment make a detour?"

"When the Japanese army changed its position on the southern front, I had already transferred most of the 113th Regiment and the American advance company. Those American 37mm anti-aircraft guns will be a nightmare for the Japanese army tonight!"

Hearing this, the two exchanged a smile. Liao said with emotion, "Deputy Commander truly lives up to his reputation as a battlefield master. He doesn't waste a single troop! Okay! Let's do this! I'll also utilize the reserves of the new 22nd Division. Let's attack on both fronts!"

Yang Xiao asked, "The new 22nd Division's reserve force should be directly under the command of the assault battalion, right?"

Liao was surprised and asked, "How did the deputy commander know?"

Yang pointed at Commander Liao and said with a smile, "Whenever you, Commander Liao, launch a counterattack without any reason, you must have a fresh force on hand to deal with any unexpected events. Apart from your division's unique assault battalion, I can't think of any other troops that could be mobilized at this time!"

Liao shook his head and said, "Deputy Commander Yang, it's a good thing you were a friendly force. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been tricked that day without even realizing it."

The two men stopped exchanging flattery and began to seriously study the details, gradually forming a more complete night attack plan. The premise of this plan was very clear: exploit the Japanese army's perceived advantages in manpower and equipment, thereby ignoring the enemy's potential to launch large-scale surprise attacks and counterattacks under inferior conditions. Take the enemy by surprise, attack them when they are unprepared, and attack them at their weak points!

While Liao Yang was mulling over how to attack the Japanese, Mutaguchi Ren'ya was no ordinary man. At this very moment, he was also planning a night attack on the Chinese army, employing the same strategy as Liao Yang. Knowing the enemy's superiority in manpower and firepower, the Chinese army clearly didn't anticipate such a large-scale nighttime surprise attack!

Late that night, two Chinese units advanced deep into the Japanese army's territory, each advancing from either side. Meanwhile, the Japanese, at the junction of the 22th and 64th Regiments of the New 65nd Division in the center, had organized two battalions of over 1700 soldiers, which were quietly advancing towards the Chinese defenders' positions.

Battalion Commander Li Yuanjun's heart was beating wildly at this moment, and he couldn't fall asleep. He had a premonition that something big was about to happen. The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became. He quickly called several people from the battalion headquarters and quietly moved to the front of the position to check their own outposts and observe and search for the movements of the enemy camp ahead.

Li Yuanjun and the guard came to the front line and carefully observed the dark front through the hidden observation point. They vaguely saw many swaying figures.

"Oh no! The Japs are going to launch a sneak attack on us." Li Yuanjun broke out in a cold sweat and quickly asked the guards to notify all units of the first battalion. At the same time, based on the movements of the Japanese army, he also quickly called the signalman and asked him to rush back to the battalion headquarters and report to the regimental headquarters and the 64th Regiment immediately. The Japanese army's purpose was obviously to launch a sneak attack at the junction of the two regiments!

After receiving the report, the superiors quickly made arrangements. The 64th and 65th Regiments immediately took action. The troops accelerated into their positions and pointed their guns at the Japanese troops who were slowly approaching.

Division Commander Liao and Deputy Commander Yang were both alarmed, surprised by the Japanese army's unusual behavior. Liao hesitated and asked Deputy Commander Yang whether his units should halt their raids. Yang Hong smiled and said, "That's better. The Japanese will focus their energy on raiding our positions, giving our raiding teams more opportunities. What we need to do is to contain the Japanese raiding forces and strike hard, making them hurt!"