The War of Resistance: My Expedition, My Country

On the northern front, the Japanese 18th and 55th Divisions opened up a path along the jungles of the Nagaland Valley. One part quickly occupied Ukhrul, while the other turned west and headed towards Haflon, attempting to seize the railway line in the area, and then attack Sading to the north along the railway line and Silchar to the south along the railway line.

Zheng Dongguo, through US and British air force reconnaissance, determined that the Japanese army in the Nagaland Valley and jungle east of Sardin was clearly incapable of large-scale massed operations. Both sides would inevitably rely primarily on battalion- and company-level light infantry. To the northeast, despite frequent movements of the Japanese 33rd Division, all indications indicated that the Japanese offensive from northern Burma was merely a feint. He wondered whether the main force of the Indian Army should continue to deploy along the railway line north of Sardin.

Zheng Dongguo immediately summoned senior generals of the Indian Army, including Merrill, Liao Yaoxiang, Huang Wei, Hu Su, Zhou Zhizai, Pan Yukun, Li Tao, and Long Tianwu, to discuss response strategies.

Brigadier General Merrill further outlined the enemy and our own situation. The 1st Indo-Burma Division organized a defensive line along the Kohima and Dimapur lines to block the Japanese offensive from the north. The 8th Indian Division had retreated to Sading. The armored battalion and special forces of the new 22nd Indian Division had moved to the vicinity of the Sading (Lumeding) railway hub. The main forces of the 22nd Division had advanced to the vast hilly terrain along the Dimapur and Jorhat railway lines, subsequently moving to the Mogogjong line, establishing several temporary defensive positions. The 14th Division had advanced to the railway line south of Sading and was continuing eastward to establish various defensive positions. The 200th and 71st Divisions, acting as mobile forces, were concentrating around Moran and Ledo to prevent a Japanese surprise attack from northern Burma.

Brigadier General Merrill's proposal was: The three battalions of the 22th Regiment, under the new 64nd Division, would advance, using battalion and company units, to search and attack south of Dimapur, seizing advantageous terrain and immediately organizing a defense upon contact. The 65th Regiment would serve as backup for the 64th Regiment, ready to respond to a large-scale Japanese attack. The 66th Regiment would detour eastward, open a road, and approach Kohima to prevent the collapse of the 1st Indo-Burma Division and the subsequent fall of Kohima. The 14th Division would continue its deployment along the railway line, and if necessary, its regiments would seize strategic heights east of the railway line to establish a consolidated defensive position.

Huang Wei took the initiative to suggest that the Japanese attack on Sardinia from the north was likely a trap or a surprise attack. However, the main force of the Japanese army should advance westward, attack Haflon, cut the railway line there, and then move south along the line to join the Japanese forces in the center to besiege Silger!

Liao Yaoxiang agreed with Huang Wei's analysis, arguing that even if the Japanese 18th and 55th Divisions arrived in full force on the Sardinian front, the Indian Army would not need to concentrate its entire force in northeastern India or Sardinian. The new 22nd Division should immediately turn south to prevent the British from being disadvantaged on the Silchar front.

Everyone engaged in discussion, with some for and some against. Hu Su, in particular, argued that, according to the theater's directives, the Indian Army's primary mission was to defend and counterattack Japanese attacks on the Sardinian front, while also preventing the Japanese 33rd Army from launching a surprise attack from northern Burma into northeastern India. This region, where the Indian Army's headquarters and the Hump Route's departure point were located, was crucial for defense. Furthermore, the Indian Army had too many new recruits, unfamiliar with the climate and geography, and opposed any large-scale involvement beyond the theater's mission.

Supporters believe that if the Japanese army captures Haflon and cuts off the railway transportation line, it will have a huge impact on the Indian Army and even the entire Chinese battlefield. The Indian Army should take the initiative to attack and help defend the railway line.

After Zheng Dongguo and Merrill conferred, they sought Liao Yaoxiang's opinion. It must be said that Hu Su's words spoke volumes about the feelings of most Nationalist generals. In their view, fighting according to established rules, minimizing casualties within their ranks, and completing their mission were the best outcomes.

Merrill participated in various training efforts for the Indian Army and understood that the current force was ill-suited for large-scale combat. The British Indian Army in the center comprised two armies totaling nearly 10 men. Even if the Japanese concentrated three divisions, it would be impossible to defeat the British in a short period of time. By this time, Commander Mountbatten must have made new adjustments!

Merrill nodded to Zheng Dongguo, indicating that he agreed with Hu Su's opinion and continued to deploy defenses in Sardinia and the north according to the requirements of the war zone.

Zheng Dongguo ultimately decided to continue deploying troops according to the theater's guidance. Liao Yaoxiang exchanged glances with Huang Wei and offered a supplementary suggestion: forming a mobile column with the new 22nd Division and the 200th Division's armored battalion, special operations battalion, and headquarters armored regiment. This column would advance to the small village of Royal, south of Sardinia. This would be ready to support the Indian army's defense of Sardinia and, if necessary, quickly advance to Haflon to assist the British defense.

Everyone understood what Liao and Huang meant. The railway line was the lifeline that the Indian Army and even the Chinese battlefield had to defend at all costs!

Zheng Dongguo agreed to this deployment, and each unit began to launch a new search and defense plan.

Huang Wei decided to appoint Wang Congwu as the temporary commander of the mobile column, with the support of Zheng Dongguo and Liao Yaoxiang. By then, Wang Congwu had been transferred back to the 200th Division, serving as its deputy chief of staff with the rank of lieutenant colonel. The gadgets Wang Congwu had tinkered with would finally enter history...

The commander of the Japanese 15th Army, Mutaguchi Ren, devised a plan to build a false front while secretly attacking Chencang. He sent his main forces, the 18th and 55th Divisions, to attack northwards with obvious intentions, aiming to seize the Sardinian railway hub and cut off India's northeastern transportation artery in one fell swoop, forcing the Allied forces to withdraw from India's northeastern region, thereby cutting off the US and British air transport lines to the Chongqing government.

Mutaguchi Renya believed the Chinese would concentrate all their forces on this front. Even if the 33rd Army launched a feint attack from northern Burma, a quick breakthrough would be unrealistic. Through the Burma Campaign, Mutaguchi Renya had come to view the Chinese Expeditionary Force in India as an equal, and there was no need to fight them to the bitter end in the harsh, mountainous terrain of northeastern India.

Mutaguchi Ren'ya's core plan was to use Sardinia as bait in northeastern India to lure the Allied forces into the area. He would then suddenly move the main force of the 15th Army southward, using the powerful 18th, 31st, and 55th Divisions to encircle the main British and Indian forces in Silchar and Khafron, thereby severing the Chittagong-Sardinia railway line, thereby effectively switching off China's lifeline.

In Mutaguchi Ren'ya's view, although the British Indian Army had gathered nearly 10 troops in this area, the poor performance of the British Indian Army in Burma made him believe that the imperial soldiers could easily defeat and annihilate the British Indian Army with one against ten, just like in the early Chinese battlefields!

牟田口廉也悄悄将105旅团与18师团进行对换，105旅团打着18师团的旗号进军萨丁，而18师团则尾随在31师团之后，以105旅团的旗号假意充当31师团的后卫。日军攻占乌克鲁尔之后，牟田口廉也下令第55师团主力西进，继续以乌克鲁尔为据点向北扩展进攻的主要是105旅团和55师团一部疑兵。