The War of Resistance: My Expedition, My Country

The route from Mandalay to Shwepaw was originally a mountainous and hilly area, with only a few Burmese villages nearby. Repeated raids by the Japanese army had left many villages completely devastated. This time, the Japanese army went even further, adopting the "Three Alls" policy they had implemented in China for many years, burning and killing Burmese people along the route, leaving no trace.

Under the harsh supervision of the "Gaijiuxiang Group," the Japanese and Burmese puppet troops shed their veneer of shared prosperity. The Japanese army fully utilized its tactics against the Eighth Route Army guerrillas in Burma, inflicting untold suffering on the people of the Central Burma region. Anyone who resisted was rounded up and taken to concentration camps, ultimately becoming unpaid labor for the Japanese army. Any resistance was met with utter extermination, along with their families.

Soon, the Japanese army built more artillery towers and strongholds outside the railway line. The surrounding Burmese people were either killed or became vassals of these artillery towers and strongholds.

Qin Shi was also in distress. He couldn't lure the Japanese out. After the Battle of Savan, his troops were seriously short of ammunition, especially artillery shells and explosives. Sneak attacks and ambushes were of little use. A strong attack was definitely not an option. Not only was the firepower insufficient, but if they were exposed, the Japanese would surely come. Unlike northern Myanmar, the Japanese in the Central Burma region had a well-developed road network and a strong military presence. They could easily devour his small force of 2000 men.

It seemed that it was time to seek external support. To avoid arousing the suspicion of the Japanese army, Qin Shi did not activate his own radio station, but used the radio and channel of the Burmese National Salvation Army to contact the Allied Staff in India. The Staff immediately forwarded Qin Shi's telegram to the Chinese Army Headquarters in India.

Under cover of darkness, US and British bomber formations took off from airfields in Silchar, Aizawl, and Chittagong. While continuing to bomb key Japanese military and oil field targets in Imphal and Yenangyaung, one formation bypassed the Japanese air defense zone and entered the Mandalay region of Central Myanmar, bombing important bridges and key points along the Mandalay-Myitkyina railway. Several aircraft flew deep into the dense forest, dropping large quantities of supplies.

The next day, Iida received a report that the US and British air forces had bombed the railways in the Central Burma region. At the same time, the Front's Special High Technology Department also reported to Iida a report that the US and British air forces were dropping large amounts of weapons into the Central Burma region.

What were the US and UK planning? Could they have some new agenda in the Central Burma region? Iida bypassed Muta and called the 37th Brigade commander, Gejuxiang Tuan, ordering him to dispatch a search party to uncover the reasons behind the US and UK airdrops into the mountainous region. Furthermore, he ordered the swift elimination of the remaining Burmese National Salvation Army!

While receiving the supplies, Qin Shi received a report from Chachai that a Japanese special forces squadron had been dispatched. He immediately summoned Liu Xiao, Wang Qiang, and other commanders above the rank of battalion commander, and a plan to encircle and annihilate the Japanese special forces squadron was launched...

"Baka! Idiots!" Major Furui cursed his brainless colleagues as he gazed dismayed at the deserted village before him. While no-man's land had been established, the opportunity to search for enemy traces had been lost. In this vast jungle, with the enemy hidden and us in the spotlight, their movements would be even more cunning. The slightest negligence could prove fatal.

Gu Jing and his deputy, Captain Kobayashi Shimotsuke, took out a map. Following the directions provided by the Special High Technology Intelligence Service, they knew they would still need to continue walking for about half a day to reach the US and British airdrop zone. By now, the sky was darkening. Although the special operations squadron had been trained in tropical jungle warfare and was not afraid of field operations or night marches, in this unfamiliar and unknown area, Gu Jing and Kobayashi decided it would be best to rest in this unnamed village tonight and then enter the airdrop zone the next day.

The Japanese special forces did a very good job of night defense. Qin Shi and Liu Xiao personally stepped forward to observe and nodded secretly. Qin Shi was even more determined in his heart that he must not let this Japanese special forces escape alive!

Around 1:3 AM, Battalions and had already deployed, and the mortars, which had been airdropped, were quietly awaiting the final order. Liu Xiao approached Qin Shi and nodded, indicating that everything was ready. Qin Shi softly ordered, "Begin!"

"Boom boom boom boom", a series of artillery shells flew rapidly towards the Japanese camp, followed by "boom boom boom boom", flames continued, explosions sounded everywhere, and vaguely the swaying figures of the Japanese soldiers, the blown-off torsos, intermittent screams and gunshots, made the originally quiet mountains and fields suddenly noisy!

"Damn it! The enemy is launching a sneak attack with a purpose!" Gu Jing was dodging the continuous artillery fire while communicating with Xiaolin who was following him.

Xiao Lin looked around and nodded, saying, "Lieutenant Colonel Furui, the most important thing now is to organize a breakout and get out of here as soon as possible!"

Gu Jing agreed with Xiao Lin's idea, but he knew very well that the attackers had not yet exposed anyone or launched an attack, but just kept firing. It was obvious that they had surrounded him and were waiting for him to lose his composure and break out so that they could annihilate the special operations squadron!

The hope of breaking out was extremely slim, but Gu Jing didn't want to dampen the morale of Xiaolin and the others, so he said to Xiaolin: "Xiaolin, you take the majority of the troops and break out to the east immediately. I and the team headquarters will stay behind to provide cover."

"Okay, Master Gujing, if I can break out, I will immediately circumvent your flank. Please be sure to launch a counterattack immediately, and we will rush out together!"

The Japanese quickly launched a counterattack, attempting to break out of the encirclement. Although Liu Xiao despised the Japanese, he could not help but admire their courage and quick response. Under the command of the commander and detachment leader, the soldiers of the 1st and 3rd Battalions responded calmly and defeated Xiaolin Xiabin's counterattack in one fell swoop. Xiaolin himself was killed by a sniper during the breakout.

Furui Yu, along with the retreating assault force, discovered that the special operations squadron had fewer than 70 combat-capable personnel. He knew his chances of survival were slim. Instead, he calmed down. He ordered the several key personnel gathered around him, such as the squad leaders and sergeants, "Spread out everyone and establish blocking positions on the spot! Since we can't break through, we will fight the enemy to the death here! (みんなを分散させて、その場で阻場地を作ろう！ 包囲を破できない以上、ここで敌と死闘しよう！)"

Qin Shi and Liu Xiao obviously hadn't expected the Japanese commander to stop organizing a counterattack and instead launch a blocking attack. They were unable to completely annihilate this group of Japanese troops. Seeing that daybreak was approaching, to prevent the Japanese army from making further moves, Liu Xiao, without waiting for Qin Shi's instructions, immediately summoned the detachment's direct squad, ordered the artillery to fire in bursts to clear the way, and personally led the direct squad to penetrate the Japanese blocking position!

"Boom-boom--" Two shells blew away the enemy at a temporary Japanese blocking point. Liu Xiao and three soldiers leaped a few times, rolled on the ground, rushed into the enemy formation and spread out to either side. Sure enough, a burst of enemy bullets splashed countless fragments where they stopped.

Following the flash of Japanese submachine gun fire, Liu Xiao raised his Mauser pistol and fired two shots, killing the Japanese soldier who showed his head!