The War of Resistance: My Expedition, My Country

By this time, Lieutenant Colonel Robert had successfully located the military commander at Haflon Railway Station. Under his guidance, several fuel-laden transport trucks rapidly drove toward the mobile column's hiding position. Major General Khalid, commander of the 4th British Indian Division, was surprised to see this American lieutenant colonel so willingly obeying the orders of a Chinese lieutenant colonel. Intrigued, he volunteered to accompany Robert to Wang Congwu's attack position.

When they arrived, they witnessed the shocking scene of Wang Congwu and his men launching an assault on the Japanese offensive force. Due to the large-scale actions of Wang Congwu and his men, the Japanese 143rd Regiment, which was attacking the train station, completely lost its rhythm and not only stopped its attack but even began to retreat, retreating in disorder back to the city of Haflon.

When Khalid and the others recovered from their stunned astonishment, Wang Congwu turned around and saw Robert, who quickly introduced the British Indian Army Major General to Wang Congwu. Khalid stopped Wang Congwu from saluting, warmly shook Wang's hand, and said affectionately, "Commander Wang, your arrival and actions have been a great help to us!"

While Wang Congwu was talking to Khalid, Robert interrupted and said to Wang Congwu, "Boss, the warehouse manager said that a batch of tanks and armored vehicles are temporarily stored here. They are said to be for our Indian Army. General Alexander is temporarily holding them here to replenish the losses of the British Indian Army."

Khalid and Wang Congwu were bewildered. What was going on? Hafron was about to fall, and leaving heavy weapons here wasn't indirectly aiding the enemy? Khalid already knew Alexander had been dismissed. As the supreme commander of Hafron, these tanks and armored vehicles had to be released immediately and deployed to the battlefield, no matter what the circumstances.

Khalid immediately ordered his adjutant to handle the matter. Meanwhile, Wang Congwu and Robert were whispering to one side, discussing their next plan.

Khalid hurried forward and cordially inquired about their thoughts. Robert and Wang Congwu exchanged glances, then bluntly addressed Khalid, "General, we are deeply dissatisfied with your actions. Look, we've already assisted you in defeating the current enemy attack. Why don't you organize a counterattack and annihilate the retreating Japanese forces?"

Wang Congwu pretended to stop Robert from questioning him, then said to Khalid with a mysterious tone, "General Khalid, do you dare to do something big?"

Khalid looked at Wang Congwu with a mixture of doubt and expectation. Wang Congwu could tell from his eyes that Khalid was also a speculator. So, he calmly and carefully explained his plan.

After Wang Congwu finished explaining the plan, he added, "General Khalid, you hand over the tanks and armored vehicles in the warehouse to me, along with the personnel and vehicles. Together with Robert's armored regiment, we will form an attack column and attack the Japanese troops outside Haflon City in a roundabout way, cutting off their supply to Haflon City. The Japanese will soon be trapped and at my mercy!"

Seeing that Khalid hadn't responded, Wang added, "Commander Huang Wei of the 200th Division has already led the division to bypass the Japanese rear. Deputy Commander Kuang Zhengqi is leading a regiment south along the railway line. The Japanese forces attacking Haflon are only the 200th and 55rd Regiments of the 112th Division. Both of these units were defeated by Huang Wei before, so they are nothing to be feared."

Khalid understood by now. After a moment's thought, he said, "I'll give you all the armored units of the 4th Division, and a battalion of infantry." Then, clenching his right hand and waving it forward, Khalid muttered to himself, "Operation Iron Fist! I love it! Damn it!"

The Allied forces were making intensive preparations for mobilization. The Japanese commander, Takahashi Yuhei, commander of the 55th Infantry Division, had received a report from Kobayashi Mitsuo, commander of the defeated 143rd Regiment, that the British had hidden super-heavy artillery near the train station, suggesting that large-scale enemy reinforcements had arrived.

As Colonel Yukizo Oharazawa, commander of the 112th Regiment, listened to Sato's account, his mind immediately flashed back to the nighttime attack on the 112th Regiment in Toungoo, Burma. The scene was strikingly similar. Ohara wondered if the British couldn't resist unleashing their secret weapon. Based on operational analysis, this weapon would likely have a short range and poor accuracy, making it unsuitable for large-scale deployment.

He immediately said to Major General Takahashi: "Sir Takahashi, we have experienced this kind of weapon before. During the night attack on Toungoo, Burma, the 112th Regiment suffered heavy losses, and General Horii, the then commander of the infantry regiment, was killed by this kind of artillery fire."

As Obara continued to ramble on, Takahashi Yuhei looked at her with disdain, "Are you cursing me? You're always bringing up my ex." His eyes flashed with coldness.

Ohara suddenly felt a chill and glanced at Takahashi Yuhei, immediately reading his discontent and anger in his eyes. Knowing he had violated a taboo again, Ohara quickly added, "This enemy artillery piece likely has a short range and low accuracy, making it an immature weapon. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been used in subsequent battles. Its sudden appearance this time must be a sign that the enemy, feeling guilty, has resorted to desperate measures, once again unleashing a weapon unsuitable for actual combat deployment."

Seeing Takahashi's expression return to normal, Obara breathed a sigh of relief. Kobayashi, on the other hand, looked at him with a puzzled expression. Obara Masan realized that this was the time to show off his skills.

Obara added calmly, "Has Kobayashi ever seen this type of weapon? Are there any nearby bushes or other places where the enemy can hide?"

Seeing Kobayashi Mitsuo's bewildered expression, Obara calmed down even further. He said confidently, "The enemy must be hiding less than 3 or 400 meters from your flank. This kind of enemy weapon is only suitable for sneak attacks. You're being too careless!"

Obara then said, "It's easy for us to guard against the enemy's sneak attacks. The search teams we send out before each attack should be able to detect these cumbersome, inferior weapons of the enemy and destroy them easily!"

It has to be said that Obara's analysis was indeed very close to the facts. The range of Wang Congwu's gas tank mortar was only 4 to 500 meters. If the Japanese 143rd Regiment had not panicked in the sudden attack, but had calmly analyzed the enemy situation and searched and attacked along the parabolic area of ​​the artillery fire, Wang Congwu and others would have been immediately exposed to the Japanese army.

Takahashi and Kobayashi came back to their senses from Kohara's analysis and nodded seriously, agreeing with Kohara's analysis. At this moment, Kobayashi Mitsuo regretted not thinking of searching for the enemy's hidden sneak attack at close range.

Takahashi ignored Kobayashi's thoughts. Having gained confidence from Obara's analysis, he summoned both Kobayashi and Obara to the map. After careful analysis, he devised a plan to attack the Haflon train station again. This time, part of Obara's 112th Regiment would participate, attacking the train station from the side and from behind.