The War of Resistance: My Expedition, My Country

Following the new instructions from division headquarters, the 64th and 65th Regiments began implementing their retreat plan. They cautiously withdrew from their frontline positions, particularly at the junction of the two regiments and some of the second-line positions, deliberately leaving gaps to allow the Japanese to enter without danger. However, in keeping with Chinese military tradition, these seemingly empty positions were actually heavily laden with explosives, waiting to trap the Japanese. Simultaneously, the 66th Regiment and the division's subordinate units also swiftly mobilized, including the British tank battalion, as they prepared to encircle and suppress the surprise attack by the Japanese.

Upon seeing the main Japanese force successfully enter the position, the temporary frontline commander, Guo Minyu, deputy chief of staff of the new 22nd Division, gave the order: "Detonate!" Immediately, a series of violent explosions erupted from the position, as if the entire earth were shaking. Flames shot up into the sky, and the Japanese surprise attack force was instantly engulfed in billowing smoke.

Immediately afterwards, the various units unleashed a torrential downpour of light and heavy firepower upon the Japanese. For a moment, the Japanese attacking troops were thrown into disarray, completely disoriented and unable to fight back. They fled in all directions amidst the hail of bullets, seeking cover but finding nowhere to escape.

This sudden attack caught the Japanese army by surprise. They had expected to easily break through the Chinese defenses, but instead they fell into a carefully planned trap. The battlefield was filled with smoke and dust, and the cries of battle and the roar of gunfire resounded through the air. The Chinese troops, high in morale, fought bravely, giving the Japanese no chance to breathe. The Japanese, however, suffered heavy losses, suffering heavy casualties. Their surprise attack plan had completely failed.

"Baka, Baka!" Mutaguchi Ren'ya cursed like an angry lion in the headquarters. He was so angry that he drew out his saber and cut off a corner of the sand table like a madman.

Because the Japanese military leaders had the habit of killing the soldiers and staff around them when they were furious, at this moment, all the low-level officials in the command post hid far away like frightened rabbits and kept a certain distance from Muta.

At this time, Chief of Staff Tanaka Shinichi hurried in and said, "Sir, why get so angry over a failure? Your old subordinate Kimura Heitaro has taken over as the commander of the 55th Division. This is good news for you. That old guy Takeuchi Hiroshi has also been dismissed because of the defeat on the battlefield."

"What?" Mutaguchi Ren'ya took the telegram from Tanaka's hand in confusion and looked at it carefully.

The Japanese military has a long tradition of rarely transferring divisional commanders from other units. The replacement of Okazaki of the 33rd Division, and now the overnight replacement of Takeuchi Hiroshi, has left even the old fox Mutaguchi Ren'ya unsure of the military's intentions. It also serves as a wake-up call for him. It seems the Burma war is going to be tough; it's a situation that will affect everyone.

Yes, since the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese army has won victory after victory in Southeast Asia and the Pacific battlefield. The consecutive defeats in the Myanmar campaign not only delayed the Japanese army's westward advance, but also affected the Japanese army's layout in the entire South Pacific.

Elite Japanese units like the 18th and 33rd Divisions were being held captive in Burma, suffering heavy losses. This was something the Japanese headquarters absolutely could not tolerate! Tanaka Shinichi had already received news from home that the top brass of the Southeast Asia Front, including the commander of the 15th Army, were likely to be scapegoats.

Tian Xin muttered to himself: It would be best if you also failed, Mu Tian, ​​then there is a good chance that I can succeed you as the commander of the 18th Division!

Mutaguchi Ren'ya was reading the telegram, lost in thought. This made it difficult for Tanaka Shin'ichi to interrupt him, as both of them were preoccupied with their own thoughts. Mutaguchi Ren'ya came to his senses, glanced sideways at the dishonest chief of staff, and thought to himself, "Tanaka, you better behave yourself! If you want to take my place, at least let me be promoted to commander of the 15th Army!"

Mutaguchi Ren'ya also had his own sources of information. The military's punishment for the failure in the Burmese campaign was far from as simple as imagined. In terms of combat performance, among the troops under the 15th Army, the 56th Division was the most dazzling. It had achieved brilliant results in eastern and northern Myanmar, and its troops had already entered the Baoshan line in Yunnan, which can be said to be remarkable. Since the 55th Division suffered heavy losses in the battle of Tonggu, it has been transformed from a main attack force to an auxiliary force. In northern Burma, it assisted the 56th Division in the battle, not only without any results, but was constantly defeated by the Chinese army; in Mandalay, it assisted the 18th Division in the battle, and was once again hit near Gubei, and then was almost surrounded in Taunggyi. It can be said that the entire reason why the Burmese war situation has reached this point is entirely due to the 55th Division, this pig teammate!

Of course, before Sakurai of the 33rd Division arrived in Burma, its infantry commander Araki, due to his arrogance, divided his troops and attacked, and was divided and defeated by the Chinese army. Then he was ambushed in Magway, which made the situation on the Western Front a mess. Sakurai was hastily transferred before he could even drink a sip of water in Burma, and his successor Okazaki was even more unlucky. In less than a month, he was dismissed due to battlefield defeat!

Mutaguchi Ren'ya and his 18th Division entered the Burmese battlefield. While they hadn't achieved any significant results, they hadn't suffered any major defeats either. At this point, given his seniority and prestige, Mutaguchi Ren'ya was confident he was the best candidate for the 15th Army's commander. However, the current situation was far from optimistic. Through intelligence analysis, Mutaguchi Ren'ya had discovered some signs that the Chinese army's exceptional strength stemmed from a group of unremarkable mid-level officers in the 200th Division.

"Yang Hong, Huang Wei, Kuang Zhengqi!" Mutaguchi Ren'ya said hatefully in his heart, I must skin you alive with my own hands!

Mutaguchi Renya seemed to have thought of something and turned to Tanaka, "How is the westward-moving force organized by Nebe Hataro?"

Tanaka shook his head. "The 33th Regiment of the 213rd Division has split up several squadrons and taken a detour into the dense forests west of Imphal. Two of these squadrons have already retreated. They've determined that this area isn't suitable for mechanized troops, and heavy mountain artillery is also difficult to penetrate. They're forced to use light infantry on foot, accompanied by Type 92 infantry guns. Soldiers will need to carry at least ten days' worth of supplies, and they'll be using a surprise attack to cut off the supply lines of the Chinese and British armies!"

"In other words, a large-scale attack is impossible?" Mutaguchi Ren'ya asked.

"Yes, we can only adopt small-scale dispersed nibbling operations! The best way to advance into India is to capture Imphal!" Tanaka Shinichi answered very straightforwardly.

Mutaguchi Renya nodded thoughtfully and said to himself, "Imphal, I must take it down!"

Just then, faint explosions could be heard outside. Mutaguchi Ren'ya and Tanaka Shinichi both looked surprised. It was so late at night, what big move was that unit making?!

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