The War of Resistance: My Expedition, My Country

Alexander's performance was disappointing, and his clumsy actions once again put the British and Indian forces in a difficult position. Division after division was thrown into the defense like a pit, completely unaware of their superiority in manpower and firepower. They simply defended, failing to concentrate their forces and firepower on a counterattack. This gave the Japanese an opportunity, and they annihilated the British and Indian troops in large numbers and captured their tanks, armored vehicles, and other mechanized equipment, enabling the Japanese army to rapidly mechanize and become even more powerful.

The most infuriating thing is that the Japanese captured a large number of Indian soldiers. Under the bloody coercion of the Japanese army, these Indian soldiers actually burst out with tremendous fighting power and beat their former comrades to a pulp.

In this war, the incompetence of the British Indian Army and the brutality of the Japanese Army formed a stark contrast. The British Indian Army's commanders lacked strategic vision and decisiveness, rendering them powerless against the Japanese. The Japanese, in turn, exploited the British Indian Army's weaknesses, demonstrating their brutality and cunning. This war was not only a military contest, but also a tremendous test for the British Indian Army.

At this point, Mountbatten realized his own shortcomings. As one of the most outstanding British generals of World War II, he decisively dismissed Alexander and assumed command of the central line himself. He immediately withdrew the troops around Silchar to defend Silchar and the railway line. Mountbatten was well aware of the consequences of losing the railway line.

Meanwhile, good news arrived from the southern Chittagong front: the Allied First Army had routed the Japanese 38nd Division. The Chinese once again demonstrated their impressive prowess in battle. Mountbatten immediately ordered Wedemeyer to rapidly advance the First Army's new th Division and the th Tank Brigade north along the railway line. Upon reaching Telmanagar, they were to strike eastward, severing the Japanese supply lines along the Aishwarya Highway and seizing an opportunity to capture Aizawl.

At the same time, Mountbatten requested that the Chinese Expeditionary Force in India move south immediately. To avoid embarrassing himself, he simply called Stilwell in Chongqing and pleaded for his order. Upon learning of the situation, Stilwell immediately took action. He notified Zheng Dongguo and, through Merrill, issued an order to Huang Wei: Huang Wei would concurrently serve as commander of the Chinese Expeditionary Force in India's southward detachment, leading the 200th Division and the mobile column to immediately move south to fully support Haflon.

By the time Zheng Dongguo received Stilwell's call, he had no time to worry about Mountbatten's subtle thoughts. He personally rushed to Sardinia, commanding the New 14th Division and the 1st Indo-Burma Division into battle, and ordered Liao Yaoxiang to transfer part of the New 22nd Division. Now that the Japanese's true intentions were understood, a swift attack on the northern front was imperative, launching a counterattack to recapture Makrull and then proceeding south along the line, waiting for an opportunity to capture Imphal!

Huang Wei received the order, but without time to organize large-scale rail transport, he quickly gathered several capable men. After a brief discussion, Huang Wei immediately formulated an action plan: the mobile column, led by Wang Congwu, would immediately move south along the railway line to reinforce Haflon. Kuang Zhengqi would follow with the 600th Regiment, providing reinforcements. Huang Wei himself would advance lightly with the remainder of the 200th Division, using a forced march to detour east of Haflon and cut off the Japanese 55th Division's retreat!

Wang Congwu filled up all the fuel he could carry, brought along more than ten fuel trucks, and led the mobile column rapidly toward Haflon. They followed the railway line, with no roads, though the terrain was only slightly better than the bumpy, forested wilderness. The small village of Royal was approximately 160 kilometers from Haflon, and it was already getting dark. Wang Congwu and his men had no choice but to march through the night, aiming to reach Haflon by dawn.

At this time, Haflon was already a sea of ​​fire. The 55th Division of the Japanese Army attacked the British and Indian Army brutally. All the outer positions of Haflon were lost. A small number of Japanese troops had entered the city of Haflon and were fighting fiercely with the British and Indian Army in the city.

Kobayashi Mitsuo, commanding the 143rd Regiment, was monitoring the fighting in Haflon from the outskirts of the city. His deputy, Chief of Staff Sazumi Oshichiro, was ordered to collect abandoned British vehicles, armor, and other equipment. Several captured British and Indian tanks, under pressure from the Japanese, joined the Japanese forces and fired continuously at Haflon.

Lieutenant Colonel Saquan and Captain Ono of the repair shop came in excitedly. Seeing Kobayashi, Saquan laughed out loud and said, "Colonel, guess what we captured and shot at?"

Seeing Zuo Quan so excited, Xiao Lin also became interested and immediately asked, "Zuo Quan, what kind of weapon makes you so excited?"

Zuo Quan didn't answer directly, but instead gestured to Ono beside him to report to the colonel. Ono immediately saluted Kobayashi and said, "Your Excellency, Commander, we have captured a total of 13 British tanks, 8 armored vehicles, 6 American jeeps, and countless motorcycles, cars, etc."

Xiao Lin didn't find the data surprising and looked at Zuo Quan with a puzzled look. Zuo Quan quickly said, "Ono didn't explain it clearly. Among these equipment, the nine tanks and eight armored vehicles are fully operational immediately. The most amazing thing is the six jeeps, which are equipped with American heavy machine guns. They are truly powerful weapons. I don't know how the British and Indian Army could have abandoned such weapons. This greatly enhances our offensive firepower!"

Ono immediately added, "Commander, we can use this batch of weapons to form a rapid column, bypass the city of Haflon, and attack the Haflon train station and the transit depot. According to the prisoners, there are large quantities of fuel, ammunition, and vehicles here, as well as a portion of tanks and armored vehicles in stock, which are obviously prepared for the Chinese army in the north. If we capture them, the regiment can fully mechanize and move south at a very fast speed to attack Silger and complete Commander Muta's plan to encircle Silger!"

Xiao Lin finally understood the reason for their happiness and quickly asked, "Do we have so many people driving tanks and armored vehicles?"

Zuo Quan calmly explained, "Ono-kun has figured out a way to utilize the captured British and Indian tank crew members and drivers. Inside the tanks, the tank crew members and gunners will use the captured soldiers, while the loaders and commanders will use our own men. The same goes for the armor and vehicles. Except for the drivers, all the others will be our own soldiers."

Zuo Quan added cruelly, "For those who obey, our treatment is guaranteed. Those who refuse will be put to death immediately!"

Xiao Lin thought for a moment and nodded. "This is a great idea! The entire army must follow suit, including the ordinary soldiers. Those who cannot be used by me will be immediately executed! The Empire does not support idle people."

Then, Xiaolin said to Ono, "Your idea is excellent! You will immediately take over as commander of the Wing's Mobile Brigade. The repair shop and the supply train will all be assigned to you. If you need any prisoners, please contact Zuo Quanjun for their arrangements!"

"Hey"